Sword Art Kingdom III
by Jacob Pendra-Huth
Summary: After so many years of waiting, the next chapter of SAK, with the final battle awaiting the trio of Keyblade wielders, Sora, Asuna and Kirito. With swarms of enemies coming from all sides, the heroes must not only gather the Guardians of Light, but also the Lost Princesses of Hearts, all the while doing their best not to let the enemy win, in any world, in any dimension.
1. Prologue! Beginning of the End!

**The Story Starts! Three days away, and I decided to set up a prologue of what is to come. For those who haven't seen the ending of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Fragmentary Passage, you might want to make sure to see that before you see this.**

 **Now, as for how this schedule is gonna set up. Kingdom Hearts III is ready to download onto my PS4, and while there are circulations on leaks from the game recently, I have not seen ANYTHING! The only thing I have seen is the cinematic intro at its' fullest, but that's it! I don't want spoilers, apart from what I already have seen. So I will personally play the game, get the understanding of the story through it, then place it in the form for SAKIII. So just because I get it on that day doesn't mean stories will immediately come out right after. I have also long work days, my nephew is visiting this coming week, and other things. But THIS SERIES WILL TRY TO BE POSTED AS MUCH AS I CAN! Do not fret! For now, enjoy reading the Prologue to the new series coming soon:**

 **Sword Art Kingdom III**

* * *

 **Mysterious Tower**

"Okay! Start talking!"

"You were gone a long time. What were ya doin'?"

"Hehe... Secret."

Inside his office, the former Keyblade Master and teacher to King Mickey, Yen Sid, had just turned away from the window near his desk, hearing the three voices of Donald, Goofy and Sora, respectively, outside of the door to his study. He had just recently said farewell to three others who left him, that being Riku, Mickey, and Kairi. Riku and Mickey were on their way, searching for an entrance to the Realm of Darkness, to search for Aqua, while Kairi was on her way to meet with Lea, also known as Axel, and train alongside him in the art of wielding the Keyblade. He knew Sora and his companions would arrive soon, along with three others that a fellow Keyblade Master, Gretinal, had just sent.

The wooden door swung open abruptly by Sora, the spiky-haired teen boy, declaring, "I'm back!" Donald and Goofy, his trusted comrades and friends, stood behind him with grins on their faces, as well. However, Sora's smile fell to a confused expression when he saw no one else other that Yen Sid sitting there in the room. He had hoped to see at least Riku and Kairi there, along with King Mickey.

"Just us?" Sora asked as he entered in, with Donald closing the door behind them.

"The others all had important work to do. So I sent them on their way." Yen Sid explained.

"That's great. They coulda said good-bye." Sora grumbled, irritated that they left without saying a word.

"It's your fault you missed them!" Donald scolded him.

"It is not!" Sora defended, "I just like to say good-bye to all my friends."

"Then do it faster!" Donald squawked.

Sora got in the duck's face as he retorted, "I'm here now, right?"

"Honestly..." said a familiar young lady's voice behind the door, "We leave you alone for a short while, and you two still haven't stopped arguing..."

Donald and Sora looked to the door, and beamed in excitement as Goofy opened it up. There, standing at the door, was their three other companions; Kirito, Asuna, and Yui, all in new garments that Gretinal gave them before they left. Kirito, the black, messy-haired young man, was right next to his girlfriend Asuna, the beautiful young lady with long hazel hair. Their adoptive daughter and former Mental Health Counseling Program, Yui, was peering around her mother, waving at them.

"Kirito, Asuna, Yui!" Sora greeted happily, racing up to them.

"Still in high spirits, I see." Kirito stated with a smirk, fist-bumping with Sora.

"Hey, are those new garments you're wearin'?" Goofy asked, seeing the team enter into the room.

"Yeah, they are." Asuna answered, placing a fist on her hip, "Mistress Gretinal gave us these before we left. They're to help us in our future battles."

"Mine is very special, as I can stay this size even in this dimension." Yui stated, doing a twirl between Doanld and Goofy to show off her new garments, her sash fluttering out as she did so.

"They look awesome!" Sora exclaimed, looking down at his garment "I hope to get some new clothes, too."

"I think yours looks okay as it is." Kirito stated.

"You're just saying that because it's mostly black." Asuna giggled. Kirito wanted to retort to this, but realized that she had a point.

"We have matters to discuss." Yen Sid interrupted the reunion, getting the attention of the team. They gathered in a straight line, standing straight at attention. "Gretinal and I have been speaking to one another on what our next plans should be. In order to defeat Xehanort, there are allies we must gather, acting now to rouse them from their slumber. We have discussed this before." The team nodded in response.

"The Mark of Mastery exam was conducted in the hopes you would acquire the power to wake them. While Kirito and Asuna were able to obtained such powers, the darkness nearly took control of you, and your grasp of our new abilities leaves much to be desired." Sora looked crestfallen at this, while the others looked sadly at the truth of the matter.

"Furthermore, Xehanort nearly made you and Leafa his vessel, and in the process stripped you of most of the power you had gained by then. I suspect you have already noticed this, correct?"

Yen Sid's words hurt Sora a bit, while Kirito looked down, thinking on his cousin. He was worried about how she was handling all of this, but knew that she was not one to be down in the dumps forever. She always did find a way to get back onto her feet. Asuna looked to Kirito, knowing who he was thinking about.

"Sora..." Donald, Goofy and Yui muttered, looking worried as Sora.

For a moment, it seemed like Sora was down in the dumps, as well. However, he smiled and gave a huff as he placed his hands on his hips as he replied, "Whatever! Happens all the time."

Kirito and Asuna looked to him with a smile. Leafa wasn't the only one to have a way to get back onto their feet again. Then again, according to Gretinal and Berthonda, Leafa and Sora were technically dimensional counterparts, so they had similarities.

"Yes..." Yen Sid understood, "Kayaba, Chip and Dale are currently analyzing data that Ansem the Wise provided to Riku, and which could offer us a clue to retrieving our friends' lost hearts. I have very high hopes for this data. However, our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with the three of you, Sora, Asuna, and Kirito." The trio looked to one another, recognizing the fact that they are being depended on quite a bit for the final battle.

"If the three of you trust the guidances your hearts give, I know we will find all of the guardians of light." The old wizard continued, "But first, Sora, you must regain all the strength you have lost. Perhaps it is foolish to expect a complete recovery, but it is absolutely vital you perfect one power; the power of waking, which you failed to master during your exam. There's someone who lost his strength and found it again, a 'true hero' to whom you ought to pay a visit. Perhaps he can point you in the right direction."

Sora, Asuna and Kirito all understood who this 'true hero' was, as this title was only told about in one world they went to long ago. Sora then ended up performing a couple of muscular poses, flexing his arms as Yen Sid finished. The others looked quite bewildered at why he was doing this, with Asuna shaking her head at his childish demeanor, while Kirito rolled his eyes, and Yui looked confused. Finally, after fooling around, Sora replied, "Got it!", as he saluted Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid..." Donald started.

"...You can count on us to take care of Sora, Kirito and Asuna!" Goofy followed up.

"And I'll make sure everyone's moods are at the peak of happiness!" Yui added, pumping her fists with determination.

"I would have it no other way." Yen Sid responded, "I put them in your hands."

Sora looked to his friends on either side of him as he chuckled, "You guys!" He pulled them all in close, stretching his arms as far as he could so he could embrace them all in a group hug.

"Together again, for another adventure!" Yui cheered, happy for the six of them together.

"You can't become a master without us!" Donald pointed out to Sora, getting a confused look from the said young boy.

"I never woulda thought you'd fail that exam, Sora." Goofy added.

"Hey!" Sora barked pulling himself out of the group hug, "I'm not the only one. Kirito didn't pass either!"

"Well... yeah, that's true." The black swordsman agreed, rubbing the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Face it, Sora. You're the half-pint out of us." Donald insulted.

"But the six of us together make a whole pint." Goofy followed up.

"That's three pints!" Sora corrected.

"Glad your math is still good..." Asuna said in an amused tone.

"Was that a jab?!" Sora asked her, but she feigned ignorance.

"Still, Goofy's right." Yui interrupted the argument, "With the six of us together, we can take on anything!"

"And don't forget, we'll keep an eye on all of you." Donald told the Keyblade wielders, raisin a feathered hand and placing in the middle of the half-circle formation they were in. Yui saw it, stepped forward, and placed her hand onto Donald's, knowing what was happening, as it happened twice before.

"Oh, this is gonna be lots of fun!" Goofy giggled, placing his hand on Yui's.

"It's not a vacation!" Sora retorted.

"True, but with you around, it might as well be a fun adventure." Asuna stated, placing her hand onto Goofy's.

Kirito chuckled as he walked forward, placing his hand on Asuna's as he followed, "Fun or not, I know we'll be able to accomplish it, find all our friends, and stop Organization XVI. So, you ready for one more adventure, Sora?"

Sora looked to his close friends, smiled and nodded, then placed his hand on top of the pile, declaring, "Let's go!"

The six all turned to Yen Sid as they saluted to him, declaring, "Count on us!" Yen Sid nodded in response. With that, they raced out the door together, heading off to their next big adventure.

When they got outside the tower, Sora saw something near them that was hovering over the ridge of the floating island they were on. It was the Gummi Ship that Kirito, Asuna and Yui had come on before, given to them by Gretinal herself. It was three times bigger than a standard jet used by the air force.

"Whoa! Where did that come from?!" Sora asked.

"That's the ship Gretinal gave us; the Swiftline." Kirito explained, "She told us it was made for dimensional travels, meaning it can work in either one of our dimensions."

"But what about our Gummi ship?" Donald asked.

"This one has several more things that our old ship didn't have." Kirito explained, "Come inside, and see." Yui activated the door with a controller she had on hand, and they entered inside the ship. They entered into the cockpit, and found it wider and more spacious than what it was on the outside, all thanks to Gretinal's magic. There were similarities to it compared to the former Gummi Ship. There were two control panels, with a chair to each of them. The other four seat were surrounded by an arch railway. Behind that was another door that led to the room behind.

"Whoa!" Sora, Donald and Goofy gasped, seeing the interior.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Asuna stated, walking to the back door, with the large control panel next to it. She started tapping away on it, then activated something. The ridges around the door glowed, and slid open. They all peered inside to reveal a larger room than the control room. It was open and spacious, and it looked quite a bit like a dojo of sorts.

"Cool!" Sora gasped, walking into the place, "Our Gummi ship didn't have this!"

"It's designed for all our needs, actually." Yui explained, "This room is for training sessions if we want to spar."

"But there's more than that." Asuna pointed out, "Come out here and see."

Sora exited the room, and Asuna slid the automatic doors shut. She tapped a few more buttons on the digital panel, and after another glow, the door slid open again, and the room changed in size and design, becoming a standard kitchen.

"Wow!" Goofy gasped.

"Is this magic?!" Donald asked in amazement.

"Gretinal said that she and her friends poured their magic and tech know-how into this." Yui explained, "It can change on depending on what we need. There's not only a dojo and a kitchen, but also sleeping quarters, a meeting room, storage closet, a bathroom, a dance studio, and even a karaoke room!"

"Why we would need those last two, I have no idea..." Kirito muttered with a sweat-dropped expression.

"Oh, who doesn't like a bit of karaoke?" Goofy questioned, "I love ta sing and dance. You should've seen me at the disco!"

"I haven't sung as much since my time as one of the Three Caballeros." Donald recalled.

"Still, let's not spend too much time exploring now, and head off to where we're suppose to go." Sora stated, getting into one of the seats controlling the ship, and looked about to see how it worked.

"Uh, Sora? You'd better step back and let Donald and Yui take the controls." Asuna told the young Keyblade wielder, "I'd rather not crash this after how much faith Gretinal had in us taking care of it."

Despite his arguments, Sora gave up and let the two shortest characters in their team take the controls of the ship, while the other four sat in the other chairs. They rode the ship out, flying into space, ready to make their way to where they needed to go. After they left the world far behind, and were drifting along aimlessly through empty space, Sora asked the one question on everyone's minds.

"How're we supposed to get there now?" Sora asked.

"What?! I thought you knew!" Donald exclaimed.

"We only came to Yen Sid's tower because Gretinal helped guide us there." Kirito explained, "As for where we go from here... I don't know."

"Looks like all the old highways are closed." Goofy pointed out, "Didn't Master Yen Sid say that Sora, Kirito and Asuna should trust the guidance their hearts give?"

"C'mon, you guys. Which way?" Donald pleaded to the trio. He watched the trio as they were lost in thought, trying to figure it out. However, they had nothing to show there was a solution.

"Mama, didn't Mistress Gretinal tell you anything?" Yui asked.

"Yeah! Like some sort of secret thing only Keyblade Masters can do." Sora assumed, looking at her in hope.

"I'm only a Keyblade Master by title. It doesn't give me any extra powers." Asuna explained, "Still, though, even with the title, I am not sure if I am truly up to the task of truly having it, yet..."

"But you and Riku did better than the rest of us, that's for sure." Kirito acknowledged, "I'm sure you'll come to terms with that title, eventually." Asuna smiled in appreciation for Kirito's faith in her.

"Hey, would you guys get serious?" Donald grumbled, cutting off the scene between the two. Realizing they were getting off topic, they went back to thinking again.

"Well, since we've already been there before, why don't you try picturin' our friends like we're there?" Goofy suggested.

Sora stood up and paced over to the middle of their group, pumping his fists like a bodybuilder, hoping something would happen.

"Well?" Donald asked.

"Sorry, I got nothin'. What did you expect?" Donald moaned in despair at these words.

"Anyone else got any more bright ideas?" Asuna asked, looking to Kirito, who shook his head, not having one.

"Actually, while you guys were taking your exam, I was taught a saying if I didn't know what to do." Yui told the others, "Gretinal told it to me. She said, 'when all else fails, may your heart be your guiding key'."

"May your heart... be your guiding key?" Asuna echoed.

"Oh, yeah! Master Yen Sid said that to us, too." Goofy recalled, "Right before we set of on any of our real important adventures!"

"Really?" Sora asked, looking to Donald, "Ring a bell?" Donald shook his head at this.

"Maybe I was imaginin' it..." Goofy muttered, scratching his head.

"May your heard be your guiding key..." Kirito muttered, thinking on the phrase. Suddenly, as if by sheer coincidence, he, Sora and Asuna all were sparked with inspiration. They looked to one another, realizing they all had the same idea, and they all raced in between Donald and Yui, pulling out their Keyblades; the Kingdom Key, the Elucidator, and the Lambent Light. They raised the points ahead of them, and concentrated. Sure enough, the Keyblades shined at their tips. In the space in front of them, a swirling vortex of magic energy formed, creating a portal.

"It's a gate!" Donald, Goofy and Yui exclaimed.

"Alright!" Sora cheered.

"That actually worked!" Asuna stated in slight amazement.

Kirito turned to Yui and ordered, "Set our coordinates. You know where to go?"

"Right!" Yui responded, tapping on the keyboard, "Setting a course to the Olympus Coliseum!" Donald guided the ship forward, and sent them into the portal, which vanished behind them, disappearing from view.

Their next adventure, full of trials and tribulations, was about to begin

 _(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)_

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their three friends, the other six heroes, including Philia and her team, Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**


	2. Olympus! Thebes in Crisis!

**So, I decided to split this world into two chapters, since the worlds in Kingdom Hearts III are already incredibly long. This might be the case for almost all of the worlds in this story, as I know I got a lot of story to write. So I hope you guys weren't expecting these to be incredibly long. Then again, look at it this way; You'll get to wait less for the next chapters to come out! So read, enjoy, leave a review and tell your friends!**

* * *

" _May your heard be your guiding key..." Kirito muttered, thinking on the phrase. Suddenly, as if by sheer coincidence, he, Sora and Asuna all were sparked with inspiration. They looked to one another, realizing they all had the same idea, and they all raced in between Donald and Yui, pulling out their Keyblades; the Kingdom Key, the Elucidator, and the Lambent Light. They raised the points ahead of them, and concentrated. Sure enough, the Keyblades shined at their tips. In the space in front of them, a swirling vortex of magic energy formed, creating a portal._

" _It's a gate!" Donald, Goofy and Yui exclaimed._

" _Alright!" Sora cheered._

" _That actually worked!" Asuna stated in slight amazement._

 _Kirito turned to Yui and ordered, "Set our coordinates. You know where to go?"_

" _Right!" Yui responded, tapping on the keyboard, "Setting a course to the Olympus Coliseum!" Donald guided the ship forward, and sent them into the portal, which vanished behind them, disappearing from view._

* * *

 **Long Time ago...**

In a city that is much like New York City, in the middle of the road, a battle was ensuing. It was two different groups of people, four on one side and three on the other. The leaders of each were squaring off, clashing Keyblades with one another. The boy with a yellow shirt and jeans was using a Starlight Keyblade, while the other boy in a black jacket and black pants used a Pain of Solitude Keyblade. And based on how strong their combat was, this was no mere quarrel.

" **Shotlock: Union Ragnarok!"** The Starlight Keyblade user shouted, and he unleashed spiraling energy arrows that homed in on his opponent. The black-clothed boy raised his Keyblade in defense, and withstood the attack, skidding back to where his comrades were.

"You guys shouldn't even be a faction!" The attacker barked at them, "Face it, you Shadow Faction guys are the ones who don't belong amongst the eleven factions!"

The black-clothed leader stood up as he grimaced, "We're not doing anything wrong! We're doing the exact same things you guys from the Light Faction are doing. Why are we singled out?!"

"Because you guys are users of the darkness!" One of the other Light Faction members answered, as she and the others readied their Keyblades, "Who knows when you will fall into it and turn against us! We won't take any chances!" The members of the Shadow Factions readied their Keyblades, wanting to make sure they didn't get killed, no matter what they had to do.

"That's enough!" Shouted a male and female voice in unison. The Keyblade wielders stopped and turned to the two voices. There was a portal that opened up, and out came two people in robes, with the emblems on the back of them that represent the factions they led. One of them was a woman in her mid-20s, with bronze-blonde hair, tied in a long ponytail, and she had green eyes. Her white robe had a green, heart-like emblem on the back of it, and it was open in front, revealing her black, skin-tight, combat dress with a green skirt. The other was a man the same age as the young lady, with black hair, with two blonde stripes on either side, and violet eyes. His black robe had a white, vapor-looking emblem, but he had his rope tied with a brown cord, hiding what he wore underneath.

"Master Younsol!" the Shadow Faction group leader gasped, seeing the young man approaching them.

"And that's the Bond Faction's Master Berthonda!" The Light Faction leader followed, seeing the woman.

"Stand down, the both of you." Berthonda spoke, looking to the two, "This much conflict will not do any good here!"

"She is right." Younsol agreed, looking to his faction's members, "It will only cause the Heartless to rise up and come after you with this much negative emotion."

"But we didn't even start this!" One of the Shadow Faction members defended.

"Believe me, I know..." Younsol sighed, looking to the Light Faction, "It's not the first time we were accused for who we are."

"I will have to speak with your Mistress about what you guys were starting." Berthonda told the Light Faction, "Have you forgotten the law about our factions fighting one another?"

"But why should we even be friends with them?!" The girl of the Light Faction asked, pointing at the Shadow Faction, "We have no reason to be friends with those who use darkness."

"Darkness and shadows are two different things." Berthonda told them, looking at the member's Younsol's faction with a smile, "Besides, I find them amazing what they are capable of. They control darkness, but are not consumed by it. That just shows how strong their hearts are."

"But is there a difference between darkness and shadows?" The leader of the Light Faction group asked, "I don't see the difference!"

"Well, you're just gonna have to make friends with them to see the difference, won't you?" Berthonda ordered them, "Bonding with them will help you see more clearly, alright?" The Light Faction members looked at one another, unsure to follow her words.

Later on, on top of one of the skyscrapers, Berthonda and Younsol were standing on the edge, looking down at the city below.

"We only became Faction leaders for over a week now, and that was the seventh battle involving my faction that I had to break up." Younsol sighed, "It's no wonder the old leader always looked so stoic and stern all the time. He had to deal with so much."

"It will take time, Younsol, but I'm sure you and the rest of us can break up the conflict involving the factions." Berthonda stated, smiling at him.

"But, time might not be something we have." The Shadow Faction leader retorted, looking at her with a determined glare, "You saw the gateway to Kingdom Hearts. Day by day, the darkness keeps growing. Sure, it's still small, now, but who knows what it'll be like years from now. Not to mention the prophecy..."

"I know about what the prophecy says." Berthonda answered, "But I look at that from another point of view."

"You mean how the collective lights that get snuffed by the darkness with reach out and connect with one another again, right?"

"Exactly. I believe that lights can never die as long as the bonds between one another are strong. And eventually, they with reignite one another, and face the darkness again."

"But still, it might not be enough." Younsol scoffed, looking on ahead, "If only there was a way to prevent this much conflict. Maybe, with the ψ-Heart..."

"We cannot forcefully control people's hearts!" Berthonda retorted sternly, "You know that is not the way to do it!"

"I... I know..." Younsol answered, looking into the sky, "But... It is a thought..." Berthonda looked to her, then up to the sky, hoping he wouldn't think about doing such a thing.

But in many years time, the fears she had at this very moment would come true, and affect many individuals in the process. And three Keyblade wielders would be in the centerfold of that vortex of conflict.

* * *

 _(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)_

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

 **Present Day, Realm of Arrival**

The Keyblade Master Gretinal, A middle-aged woman with silvery hair and a petite figure hidden by her robe and armor, was wandering the gardens of her school. She had out a crystal orb, and was speaking to her fellow teacher and former Master, Yen Sid.

"I see. So you already sent them out to help Sora reclaim the Power of Waking." Gretinal understood, "It is a good thing Kirito, Asuna and Yui made it there to pick them up."

"Indeed. Sora is a gifted Keyblade wielder, but he will need the aid of those whom he has traveled with for all this time." Yen Sid closed his eyes, thinking on one other thing, which he vocalized, "Especially if Berthonda's warning turn out to be true."

"Sora carries a strong burden of both saving all those who are lost, while dealing with the pain each carries." Gretinal recalled the very warning that she told Kirito and Asuna, "That is why Berthonda wants to make sure that Kirito and Asuna are pillars of light that help him when he is down. That being said..." she smiled at the crystal orb, "It is safe to say that Sora has a bright heart that gathered all of them in. After all, it guided Kirito, Asuna, Yui, and everyone else from this dimension. And in return, they guided him to their dimension in a time of need."

"The fates of our two dimensions, and those chosen by the Keyblade to protect the light, do seem to intertwine." Yen Sid agreed, "The only question, right now, is if they can gather the remaining lights to combat Xehanort and Organization XVI."

"You forget Younsol, as well. He might be just as big of a threat, if not more so, than Xehanort, since he is seeking something more than just Kingdom Hearts itself."

Yen Sid closed his eyes, reminding of the deepest secret he and Gretinal knew about Kingdom Hearts. It might even be something that Xehanort wasn't fully aware of, either. The future did seem dangerous, and it might even be more so if they were not careful.

* * *

 **Mount Olympus**

Shortly after entering through the portal, the Swiftline arrived at their destination. However, when they disembarked, they found themselves in an unfamiliar location. They weren't in front of a coliseum, but near the entrance of a cave, standing on the side of what appeared to be a mountain.

"No fanfare?" Sora questioned, and made an imitation of a trumpeter. Donald listened, but didn't hear anything.

"Did I make a mistake in our coordinates?" Yui asked, puzzled.

"No, I'm pretty sure we arrived at the right destination." Asuna responded,

"But I think we missed the Coliseum." Goofy summed up their results.

"Guys, you opened the gate!" Donald squawked at the trio of main Keyblade wielders.

"Guess we were a little off again. Sorry!" Sora chuckled.

"Come to think of it, wasn't there a mountain in the distance from the Coliseum before?" Kirito recalled.

"If Greek Mythology is correct, we should be on Mount Olympus, and at the top is where the gods reside." Asuna recalled, looking at the top of the mountain, which was hidden by clouds, "Although... looking back on it, this world and what I read were completely different."

"Well, whatever." Sora brushed the topic aside, "We'll find Hercules. But we need to go!" He waved his hand forward as he took the path forward.

"Up the mountain?!" Donald questioned.

"Yeah? Up is the usual direction." Sora stated in an obvious tone.

"Up or down, it doesn't really matter." Kirito followed, "Besides, if what Asuna said is true, I wouldn't mind meeting these gods up above us."

"Well, never hurts to have your head in the clouds." Goofy said in a positive tone.

"Exactly!" Sora agreed.

"Are we really just taking a random path based on that?" Asuna questioned, looking at Kirito and Yui. Kirito shrugged, and followed Sora.

Donald sighed and shook his head, while Yui stated, "We do tend to find trouble when we go on a random path, but it usually leads us to the path we need to take."

"I guess..." Asuna agreed, "We do seem to find trouble, no matter where we go."

"Hurry up, guys! We're leaving!" Sora's call to the trio made them realize they were being left behind, and the pursued the other half of their team.

They arrived in an open area, surrounded by ruins, a mural, and even a statue. There was no other path for them to go but up. They were about to move onwards when darkness appeared in the form of Heartless, surrounding the area. "Heartless!" Donald exclaimed as the six heroes pulled out their weapons.

"Good! I was looking for a warmup before we met Herc." Kirito stated, readying his Elucidator Keyblade.

"I see Shadows, Soldiers, Air Soldiers, and a Large Body!" Yui examined, pulling out her scanning device, and placing it over her eyes, "Be careful!"

"We got it!" Sora answered, and the six of them went to work.

Despite the strength they had before the Mark of Mastery, thanks to what happened during the time, the six weren't as strong as they were then. Kirito and Asuna both retained some of their strength, but their magic was limited. Sora had access to only Fire and Water magic. Asuna had access to Water and Blizzard magic. Kirito had access to Fire and Blizzard magic. However, despite the lack of old skills, they did have gained new ideas.

"Freeze!" Asuna shouted, unleashing an icy shot that left a trail of ice on the ground, striking the Large Body and making it freeze. She saw the ground of ice, and came up with an idea. She leapt upon it, and the power of her Flowmotion activated, causing her to grind on the ice, then unleash a fast jab into the gut of the frozen Heartless, sending it crashing into the wall behind, and making it vanish into darkness.

"Nice one!" Sora cheered as he defeated his Air Soldier.

"Guess we don't have to fully start from scratch." Kirito stated as he and Goofy finished their enemies.

They regrouped as they looked about the place. "No signs of Heartless, but there doesn't seem to be a path around here." Yui noted, looking about.

"There's one up there." Kirito pointed out, seeing a path high above them, near the statue, "Let's try getting up there."

"Isn't it a bit high for us to leap to?" Goofy asked.

"Not unless we do this..." Kirito made a dash to the mural, and raced up the sheer side of the wall, making to the top. He looked down to the others and shouted, "Come on! It's easy!"

"For him, maybe..." Asuna chuckled.

"Come on. It's no different than you running up that clock tower back in the Precure world." Sora recalled, and he made a dash to the mural, using his recently developed athletics to race up the wall and join Kirito. Asuna figured she had no argument for that, and followed the two boys.

"Come on!" Donald told Yui and Goofy, and they took off together, racing up the wall as best as they could. They nearly made to the top, but they didn't have the same athletics as the Keyblade wielders. Fortunately, they managed to grasp the ledge at the top, and pull themselves up.

"I think you guys might need to work on your wall-running." Kirito told the trio as he helped Goofy up to his feet. Donald grumbled as he was too stubborn to admit he needed the practice.

"Let's do that AFTER we find Herc." Sora suggested, who helped Yui up to her feet. Once everyone was set, they went onward, heading up towards the top of the mountain.

They pass a couple of barren trees to reach a cliff, looking out into the open world beyond. However, it was clear they were not making as much progress. "I think we might be goin' in circles." Goofy assumed.

"To put it more accurately, we went up in a helix circle, but..." Kirito couldn't deny that they really didn't make much progress.

"Sora?" Donald started, glaring at their point-man.

"Did I make a turn at the wrong rock?" Sora questioned, walking near the edge, then calling out into the distance, "Hey, Hercules! Where are youuu?!" Despite his voice going far and wide throughout the mountainside, there was no response to his call... At least, not one any of them wanted.

Suddenly, Kirito sensed something from above and behind them, and looked to where he sensed. A billow of black smoke was coming towards them from what appeared to be the very top of Olympus. "Heads up, guys!" Kirito warned the others, who turned to see the smoke hit the ground near their position. A familiar, blue flame-haired character appeared, growling, "All right, I know I dotted my I's, crossed my T's, zeroed the hero. So what gives? Who could possibly be trying to give me a migraine by yodeling that yutz's name?" It was none other that the ruler of the Underworld himself, Hades.

He just noticed the six heroes when Sora said, in a sort of exasperated tone, "Really? Hades?"

"Oh, it's just you. Oy, vey." Hades sighed.

"It's just us?" Sora echoed, "Even for you that's cold."

"Last time we saw him, Yui blew him into that green pool abyss." Asuna recalled.

"Oh, yeah. I did do that..." Yui realized. Course, that was when she was a pixie during their first adventure with Sora. It did feel like forever ago, considering the immense amount of adventures that in between then and now.

"Don't forget... I can always turn up the heat!" Hades warned the two girls and Sora.

"Wait. If Hades is here, then where's Herc?" Goofy asked, looking about.

"What is everyone's infatuation with that dolt?!" Hades demanded, turning red in fury.

"It's not like you gave us any reason to care about you." Kirito stated bluntly, with Donald and Sora nodding in agreement.

"Oh, I'm hurt... If I gave two drachmas to care about what you say!" Hades spat, turning away from the team, "You know what? Never mind. Never mind. I'm cool, I'm good. Because Wonderboy'll be outta my hair soon enough."

"So you're up to no good again!" Sora growled as he and the others readied their weapons.

"Of course he is!" "You bet!" Goofy and Donald agreed, respectively.

"A bad coin always lands on the same side, no matter how many times you flip it." Kirito quoted.

"Whoa, easy. What is this, Sparta?" Hades questioned, looking casually back at the heroes with their weapons drawn, "Kind of on a schedule. Don't have time to toss around the ol' fire and brimstone. The whole cosmos is basically waiting for me to, you know, conquer it!"

"Really? And here I though just opening the Underworld Coliseum and beating Herc was already too much to handle." Kirito recalled his last goal.

"Poor Hades." Sora scoffed sarcastically, "He thinks he can actually pull it off this time."

"Uh, guys...?" Asuna started, seeing Hades walk away and look to the sky above.

"Where are my Titans?" Hades called out, "Show me your power!"

Suddenly, sky darkened above them, and from above, they could see four towering figures, too dark to full notice, shadow them. The ground began to shake like an earthquake, and the wind began to stir. While trying to figure out what to do to counteract this, chilling winds suddenly made the wind grow stronger, pushing the six of them to the edge. Lava started to fall down the mountain opposite from where the cold winds were coming from, and the heat increased the intensity of the stormy winds even further. They struggled to hold themselves together against the hurricane that pushed against them, while Hades looked utterly content, saying, "Ahh! Love the breeze."

Kirito stabbed his Keyblade into the ground, holding onto Yui as she almost flew away. Donald's body was also flapping against the wind as he held onto Sora's waist. However, the result ended up what Hades wanted; the six of them were suddenly blown off the mountain and far away from his sight.

The storm stopped, and Hades looked to look at the direction they flew. "Ahh. That sent 'em sailing." Hades stated, then he calculated which direction he actually sent them, "Sailing right to where I left... Eh, no biggie!" He turned to the four shadowing monstrosities as he called out, "Nice work, boys! So, back to the whole cosmic coup thing?" With that the four figures disappeared back up the mountain.

Hades waved them off goodbye, when he suddenly sensed a dark portal opening up behind him. The fact that more intruders from another world suddenly started to appear did not uplift his mood. "Ugh. Really? Are you kidding?" He grumbled, "Geez Louise. Seriously, when it rains it pours. Okay, who's the new pest?"

Out of the portal came two figures he knew well. The bulging, cat-faced character, wearing the same attire he wore back in the past was none other than Pete. The woman with horns and a green orb-headed staff with him, whom he served, was the Evil Queen herself, Maleficent.

"Hey, now, that ain't no way to say hello, 'specially to your old friends." Pete huffed.

"Oh, perfect. Now I gotta put up with you two." Hades sighed, walking towards them, "Funny, I don't remember you doing me any memorable favors. So, you can keep your Heartless this time. I'm going back to my original plan. All right? So... toddle-of! Exit's thataway. Hey, it was great seein' ya! Happy traaails!" He sang the last two words.

"We are not here for you." Maleficent retorted, "I have my own business to attend to. All I need to know is if there is a distinctive... black box somewhere in this world?"

"Black box, huh?" Hades echoed, pondering on what this box was for a moment, then assuming, "Wait. Don't tell me... You're after the one Zeus hid on earth?"

Maleficent's eyes flashed, intrigued as she answered, "Possibly. If I were, where might it be?"

* * *

At the same time during the confrontation between villains, the team was still flying in the air, now making their descent into a smoking city off in the distance. "How do we land safely from this?!" Sora questioned in a panic.

"We're gonna crash into that city!" Yui noticed.

"Our fairy wings would be really helpful, right now!" Asuna cried out.

Suddenly, Goofy saw someone off in the distance, who had just noticed the falling heroes. The incredible muscles, burnt orange hair, brown clothing, blue cape and sandals gave away his character easily. It was none other than their buddy, Hercules.

Herc made a huge bound, and grabbed Sora and Goofy out of the sky. Donald flew towards a lion statue, while Kirito, Asuna and Yui all ended up nearly hitting a wall, had Yui not summoned her tessen, and unleashed wind magic to cushion them from impact. The trio fell to the ground, recovering from their near death experience.

Herc landed nearby them, with Sora and Goofy on each shoulder. "See? Found him!" Sora pointed out.

"Yeah, guess this counts!" Goofy chuckled.

"It was just pure luck, as usual!" Asuna argued.

"Thanks for the save, Yui." Kirito thanked his daughter.

"I'm glad I calculated the timing of that magic right..." she sighed, rising to her feet.

"Get me down!" Donald squawked, raising a tantrum as his cape was stuck on one of the lion statue's teeth.

"Just a second!" Hercules called to Donald.

Once he got Donald down, the team gathered together in front of Herc as he started, "You guys are here! Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna! You literally dropped in. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Thanks!" "Like the catch!" Donald and Goofy answered, respectively.

"Hey, what about me?" Yui questioned, seeing that Herc didn't seem to notice her.

"Oh, uh..." Hercules looked to her, finding her familiar.

"This is Yui. Remember, the small pixie that gave Hades the literal final blow in our last fight?" Asuna recalled, kneeling down and placing her hands on Yui's shoulders.

"That was you?!" Hercules questioned in amazement, "You've grown up."

"A lot happened..." Kirito replied, not wanting to say too much.

"So, what's going on?" Sora asked, looking at the burning city around them.

The Demi-god sighed as he answered, "Take a guess. Starts with an 'H'." Didn't take them long to know what he meant.

"Now I understand what he meant." Kirito recalled what Hades meant before about 'Wonderboy being outta his hair soon enough'.

"Actually, we bumped into the H-ster on the way here." Sora pointed out, with Donald nodding in agreement.

"He said somethin' about conquerin' the whole cosmos." Goofy recalled.

"All of it, huh?" Herc scoffed, "Nice of him to show a little self-restraint. Well, whatever he's planning, I'll send him running back across the Styx."

"That's our Herc!" Sora declared.

"Glad you're still optimistic." Asuna noted.

"So Sora, is there a reason you guy are visiting?" Herc asked as they wandered down the steps, going towards the statue of himself in the town square, "I'm guessing it's not just for the cheese and olives."

"Oh, yeah!" Sora realized.

"You really forgot?!" Asuna questioned him exasperatedly.

"That's Sora!" Donald sung.

"I just...took my time remembering." Sora answered, trying to think of the best excuse for his absent memory.

"I'm getting a sudden case of deja vu." Yui muttered, recalling on the day when they first met. Even then, Sora nearly forgot they were going to go on the train out of Twilight Town just minutes after King Mickey told them to do just that. Some things didn't change.

Sora brushed the issue aside as he turned to Hercules and started, "Herc, I came here so I could ask you something."

"Ask me?"

"Yeah. Do you remember the last time we were together? You were feeling down and out. How'd you get your strength back, when you jumped in and saved Meg?"

"Hmm... that's tough." Hercules started, "All I know is that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but... it's not like I could tell you how."

"Oh, man..." Sora sighed, not getting the answer he was hoping.

"What's wrong?" Herc asked him.

"All my strength is gone from me, too." Sora looked at his hands, feeling how much weaker he was compared to what he was like before the Mark of Mastery, "That's why I need you; because I was hoping you might have a solution, or something."

"I'm sorry, Sora." Herc apologized.

"Well, back to square one..." Kirito muttered, placing his hands behind his head.

Donald suddenly noticing something in the sky, and cried out, "Heartless!" They all turned to see several fireballs raining down from the sky, hitting the ground around the central square, and even knocking over the statue of Hercules. They appeared to be black balls with bat-like limbs, fire for hair, yellow eyes, and mouths that spewed fireballs all about them.

"Never saw those before..." Asuna noted as Yui pulled out her scanner.

"They're Flame Cores." Yui analyzed, "Fire magic is their specialty."

"Right. Let's not use Fire magic, and take them out!" Kirito ordered the team, and the six of them, plus Hercules, went to work.

The Heartless were not making it easy for them, as they not only spewed fireballs, but even ignited themselves into flames and flew around the place. Fortunately, Blizzard and Water magic were useful at taking out the flame from their attacks.

The pillars around the area did help them to their advantage, as Kirito, Asuna and Sora all used them to pull off their Flowmotion techniques, spinning around them like a vortex, dragging in a couple of the Heartless into the swirl, before unleashing a midair discus spin that sliced them up.

Hercules also placed in a lot of effort, working together with the others by unleashing his god-like strength, sending energy shockwaves and tossing loose boulders around at the enemy. All in all, the team was able to overcome the flames of their opponents, and win the fight.

"Hercules!" Shouted a familiar, female voice. The team looked to the sky and saw none other than Pegasus, Herc's friend, along with two characters on its' back. One of them was Phil, a saytr and Herc's coach. The other was a well-endowed young woman with long brown hair and a pink dress. This was Herc's love-interest, Meg.

As soon as Pegasus landed, Meg hopped off as she sighed in relief, "You're okay!"

"Meg!" Herc greeted her in surprise.

The young lady looked about the state of the place after their fight as she noted, "Boy, that didn't look so fun."

"No, not with the Heartless involved." Herc answered, looking to his comrades, "We're just lucky our friends showed up."

"Well, whaddya know." Meg noticed the team, "It's you guys. Guess I owe you a big thank you." Sora chuckled, glad to feel the appreciation.

"Hey there, kids." Phil greeted, approaching Kirito, "Seems like you help Herc here clean up."

"Well, we may not be true heroes in your eyes, but that doesn't stop us from doing our best." Kirito answered. Phil huffed a chuckle at these words.

"Meg, you need to stay someplace safe." Hercules told her, "We'll search the city and make sure everyone manages to get clear of the fire."

Meg looked a bit worried as she responded, "Be careful, Wonderboy."

"I will." He answered, looking to his allies, "So, you guys in?"

"Of course we're in!" Sora declared.

"Like we'll walk away from this situation." Asuna followed up.

"We're heroes!" Donald pointed out, with Goofy and Yui nodding in agreement to this.

"Break a leg then... heroes." Meg told the team before retreating to Pegasus's back.

Herc turned to Phil as he ordered, "Phil, you should go with Meg."

"Got it, champ!" He answered, "Before we go, I got two words for ya: Make them monsters pay!" Herc nodded as Yui counted four fingers for each word he said, knowing the contradiction in Phil's words.

As Phil climbed on Pegasus's back, Hercules looked to his horsey companion as he ordered, "You gotta keep her safe!" Pegasus whinnied and nodded in response, before taking to the sky again.

"Heeelp!" shouted a girl's voice that caught Goofy's sensitive ears, "Is anyone there?!"

"Hey! I hear a voice!" Goofy told the team.

"From which way?" Hercules asked.

"Over that way!" Goofy answered, pointing to the higher part of town. Asuna and Hercules looked to the direction he spoke of. Asuna's eyes glowed as she activated her ability to see further, thanks to her body being a former ALO avatar. Sure enough, both she and Hercules saw a girl on top of some broken rubble.

"There's a girl up there!" Asuna noticed.

"Oh no! She must've been caught in the fire!" Hercules realized.

"Let's go!" Sora declared, racing headlong towards the destination.

"Wait!" Herc called out to him, "Running's too slow!"

"Then what's the other choice?" Sora questioned him.

"It's not like we can fly over there." Kirito stated.

Hercules looked about the area, saw his fallen statue, and came up with a solution. "Maybe we can." He stated, "Get on that!"

"A-All of us?" Asuna asked.

Sora and Kirito looked to one another, understanding what the other was thinking. "Asuna, Yui and I will make sure that the other citizens around here aren't in trouble. You, Donald and Goofy make sure that girl is safe!"

"Got it!" Sora answered, racing to the statue. Donald and Goofy were already on top of it as Sora climbed on.

"Is it safe?" Donald questioned.

"Hope so." Goofy prayed.

"Hercules, what do you plan on doing?" Yui asked him.

"Just watch." He answered, then he called up to Sora and shouted, "Now hold on tight!" He suddenly reached underneath the statue and started to lift it up, startling the six heroes.

"Herc, m-maybe we should..." Sora stammered, scared of what was to come.

"You cannot be serious!" Asuna exclaimed, "You're gonna throw them and the statue over to the little girl?!"

"I don't think this is a good idea!" Sora pleaded.

"What if you miss?!" Yui questioned the muscular hero.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing..." Herc answered, adjusting his hands as he lifted the statue over his head, "I've done this training with Phil a lot." He took a deep breath, took careful aim, and threw the statue, making it look like Superman as it flew through the sky, with Sora, Donald and Goofy crying out in a panic as they flew.

Kirito, Asuna and Yui watched the statue make an arch through the sky, before falling into the area near where the little girl was at with a loud crash. They could see the dust and debris from the damage.

"They're...going to be alright... right?" Asuna questioned with a sweat-dropped expression.

"Well... I know they've walked out of worse attacks, so I think they'll be fine." Kirito assured her, though he did seem unsure.

"We should go and see if there are any other citizens in danger." Hercules told the trio, "Come on!" He raced on ahead, with the SAO trio following right behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora's team not only miraculously survived, but saved the girl that was in danger. Once they brought her to a safe place, she bowed as she said, "Thank you for saving me."

"Yeah, no prob." Sora answered, and she left the trio. He turned to his team as he followed up with, "We'd better check and see if anyone else needs us." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Well, if it isn't Sora and the King's pawns." Said a familiar, sinister voice. The trio turned to see Maleficent and Pete appear from a corridor of darkness.

"Maleficent! Pete!" Sora gasped, readying his Keyblade, "Are you the reason the Heartless are here?"

"Certainly not." Maleficent answered simply.

Pete examined the trio carefully before pointing out, "Say, Maleficent, I dunno about his sidekicks, but Kid Keyblader here looks way punier than the last time we saw him. I say we finish him off while we still can." Sora growled at the harsh words delivered to him.

"Waste no time with the boy. He's inconsequential." Maleficent brushed away her lackey's suggestion, "We have a far more pressing matter to attend to."

"Oh!" Pete realized, "We gots to find that black box."

"Be silent, you fool!" Maleficent hushed him, causing Pete to realize his mistake. She then turned to the trio as she continued, "As for you three: we shall meet again... when I have time for such trifles."

She opened up another corridor of darkness as Pete finished, "Yeah, and youse better get your act together before then. Later, twerps!" With that, he exited behind Maleficent, and the Corridor of Darkness vanished before Sora could rush in and stop them.

When the two villains left, Sora felt a bit depressed. Even Pete, the guy who they knocked about all over the place in the past, was not taking Sora seriously thanks to his lack of strength. The words he said about him really hurt him hard.

"Sora?" Donald called to him, worried.

"It's fine. I can take it." Sora sighed.

"Gawrsh, it sure don't sound like it." Goofy noticed, "Did Pete sayin' mean things bother ya?"

"It's fine! I can take it." Sora repeated, stubbornly.

"You're gonna get stronger!" Donald cheered.

"We know ya! You CAN take it!" Goofy declared.

"Don't say that!" Sora argued.

"I just said what he said." Goofy stated, looking at Donald.

"He can take it." the duck echoed.

"Ugh, whatever!" Sora growled, racing past them, "Let's just... go help find more citizens!" He raced on ahead, with Donald and Goofy looking at one another, knowing this was just Sora determination coming back. They followed after him, down the steps, and towards where the trouble was.

* * *

Back in an area near the town square, Kirito, Asuna and Yui were split up from Hercules as they each went to rescue more citizens.

"This way!" Yui cried out to a couple of citizens, helping them escape from the Heartless Kirito and Asuna were fending off.

"These guys are pretty tough..." Asuna grumbled, countering two fireballs from Flame Cores with her Water spell.

Kirito examined the amount of opponents. There were at least a dozen of them, and there were not only Flame Cores, but Air Soldiers and Soldier Heartless, too. He then came up with an idea. "Say, Asuna. Why don't we try the new powers that Mistress Gretinal bestowed upon us?"

"Huh?" Asuna questioned, then quickly caught on, "Oh! I got it! The powers she told us about on our way to picking up Sora and the others!"

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ Back on the Swiftline, when they got a bit of a tour of what the ship had to offer during their travel. Yui sat back at the control panel when she suddenly noticed one of the buttons flashing, and a ringtone that came with it ('Swordland' from 'SAO OST')

"What is that?" Asuna questioned.

"Sounds like someone calling us." Kirito answered.

"Let me see who it is." Yui decided, pressing the button. A circular hole appeared in the center of the room, and a pillar with a familiar crystal orb appeared from it. It reached a level as the orb glowed, and a holo-image of Mistress Gretinal appeared from it.

"Good! Looks like you figured out how to use the communication device." She noted, "I figured this would be the best way to communicate with all of you on your travels, since the ones I already gave you only really worked in our dimension."

"So, this crystal can be used to communicate with you, even if we're in Sora's dimension?" Kirito asked.

"That's pretty handy." Asuna stated, "And we won't have to huddle over someone's shoulder to see."

"Agreed. Having too many close faces like that would be too much." Gretinal stated, "I only have ones for me, Yen Sid, and this ship. Don't break it." The team nodded in understanding.

"Now, to why I am trying to call you. There's something else I have to speak with you about. It is about your Soul Drives that you once had. Thanks to your Mark of Mastery exam, your ability to perform Soul Drives is no longer available to you."

"Seriously?!" Asuna gasped, surprised that they lost this power thanks to the Mark of Mastery.

"But, what'll that mean about he souls that are already within us?" Kirito questioned.

"Calm down! I said your Soul Drives are no longer available to you anymore." Gretinal stated, "However, What HAS happened is that your power has changed to something else. Especially thanks to those new garments I have given you." The team inspected their new garments, wondering how they affected their old powers.

"Thanks to my powers bestowed upon you by wearing those garments, your Soul Drives have evolved into a new form." She continued, "I dub it 'Soul Burst'."

"Soul Burst?" Yui questioned.

"Think of it like using the souls connected to you, and with the power of your Keyblades, you are able to use the soul's weapons, skills and techniques. For example, you already are able to tap into the power of your 'Second Form'."

"Second Form?" Asuna questioned, summoning her Lambent Light Keyblade.

"Basically, summoning the power of your skills from Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online." Gretinal explained, "They will start at the basic level, but use that power enough, and you can evolve it into unleashing more powerful forms. You might even get something even more special if you get it to its' max potential."

"But, what about the other souls within us?" Kirito questioned, "Does this mean we can tap into the powers they have?"

"Sadly no. At least, not at the moment." Gretinal answered sadly, "They will sleep within you, until they are suppose to be needed again. However, I was able to produce something for you. Yui, please open up the storage compartment underneath the left control panel."

The young girl went over and discovered the compartment Gretinal spoke of. She found a small box within, and opened it up. Out of it came three glowing orbs of swirling white energy, slowly spinning around in the air above the group.

"What are those? Souls?" Kirito asked.

"They are pieces of people's souls, like the ones you gained to unleash Soul Drives. I call them Soul Pacts." Gretinal explained, "Thanks to my assistants, I was able to procure these three from some familiar faces you knew from your past. They will lend you their power for the battles ahead."

"There are three of them?" Yui questioned, then realized, "Wait. Does this mean I get to use Soul Burst, too?!"

"Yes, you can. The garments I gave you, plus your Keyblade, do allow you that power. However, let me remind you Yui that you are not allowed to use your Keyblade for anything else other than this in the battles ahead, unless you feel you absolutely have to use it in battle."

"I know." Yui understood, "Mommy and Daddy promised to train me in using the Keyblade when we have break times. For the moment, I'll use my tessen for main combat." Gretinal nodded in acknowledgement of Yui's words.

Suddenly, the Soul Pacts flew down, and went to each of the trio, entering through their chests. Their bodies glowed as they felt the Soul Pacts bond with them.

"Kirito, the Soul Pact you have gained comes from a young man named Cloud Strife." Gretinal explained, "Do you recall him?"

"Y-Yeah!" Kirito answered, recalling the blonde, spiky-haired boy from Hollow Bastion, wielding the large, two-handed Buster Sword, "It's been a long time since I remembered that guy."

"Asuna, your Soul Pact came from a young lady named Tifa Lockhart." Gretinal continued.

"Tifa... Oh!" Asuna recalled the raven-haired girl with incredible strength who was looking for Cloud back in Hollow Bastion, too, "That's right... that girl from then. So I have her power, now?"

"And Yui, your Soul Pact comes from a young lady named Yuna." Gretinal stated, "You may not remember her well, but you have met her."

"Let me see... Yuna, Yuna..." Yui tried to recall who she was, then finally it clicked, "That fairy girl of the Gullwings! I remember her!"

"Yours is special, as it came from a past life before she became what she was now." Gretinal explained, "I can't explain it clearly, but it will come in handy for you." Yui nodded in agreement.

The Keyblade Master looked to the trio as a whole as she finished, "You will learn to discover more and more Soul Pacts out there. Some might be made from bonding strongly with other. Some are just wandered and lost. Others might even be possessed by the Heartless. And some are just waiting to awaken from within you. However, you can only use three souls at a time. Having too much power within ones heart would be confusing and unhealthy, so while you can use three of them, the others will wait in your subconscious. You can tap into your own heart and choose what souls you would like to use in battle."

"This is getting really confusing..." Kirito sighed, realizing how difficult it was to use this Soul Burst compared to the Soul Drive.

"But still, the more variety of souls means we have a wider range of powers to choose from." Asuna pointed out, "We just have to make sure we set up the right souls for the right scenarios." She turned to the holo-image and responded, "Mistress Gretinal, we won't let you down!"

"Glad to hear that." She answerd, "With this power, you can unleash the potential of the hearts ability to bond, and unleash the powers of many onto the darkness. Use them well, and use them wisely." The trio nodded in understanding, realizing how important this new power was. _(Flashback ends)_

* * *

"...Guess it's time to see what this new Soul Burst can do for us!" Kirito declared, "I'll try my Second Form."

"Right, and I'll try Tifa's power." Asuna stated, readying her Keyblade.

" **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " Kirito shouted, and his Keyblade shined, producing a glowing, ghostly image of himself back in his SAO attire above him, before it dived into his Keyblade, suddenly transforming it into his classic Elucidator sword in his hands. He whipped it around, and readied himself to use it in battle.

" **Soul Burst: Tifa Lockheart!** " Asuna shouted, raising her Keyblade high. Her weapon shined as Tifa Lockhart, wearing the same attire they met in before, stood as a ghostly form, before diving into Asuna's Keyblade. The blade vanished, and shining leather gloves appeared around Asuna's hands. She tugged at the sleeves on them, before taking a martial arts stance, much like Tifa does.

"Let's go!" Kirito declared, whipping his sword to one side, causing it to glow, and unleashing a Sonic Leap at one of the Flame Cores, slamming it to the ground with great force, making it disappear into ashes.

He then unleashed his string of slashes with the opponents around him, even slashing a fireball in half that came near him. Then, he finished his combo by unleashing a Horizontal Square Sword Skill, creating four slashes that unleashed a square-shaped shockwave that sent the Heartless around flying.

Meanwhile, Asuna charged forward as a Soldier attempted to unleash a spinkick at her, but she deflected the attack with her somersault kick, knocking the Heartless off balance, giving her the opportunity to unleash a punch that set it crashing into an Air Soldier.

Asuna kept the Heartless around her on their toes with her quick and powerful punches and kicks, even embedding her attacks with Water and Fire magic. At one point, she even unleashed a backwards somersault kick that summoned a dolphin made of water.

"Time to end this!" Kirito declared, unleashing his Finale move, Starburst Stream. He summoned his holo-menu from SAO, and summoned out his Dark Repulser. With both blades glowing, he unleashed his sixteen-hit Dual-Blade Skill in the area about him, ending the lives of many Heartless.

"Now!" Asuna declared, and she dashed at a Flame Core, grabbing it and making it spin as she leapt high. She then performed her Finale move, Meteor Strike, hurling the monster down at the remaining Heartless, creating an explosion upon ground impact, with the shockwaves ending the Flame Cores, and the fire ending the rest.

With their Finales used, their weapons reverted to Keyblades once more. Yui joined the pair as she exclaimed, "That was incredible, mama, papa!"

"So that was a Soul Burst, huh?" Kirito questioned, looking at his Keyblade, "Using my old Sword Skills did feel pretty good."

"Same with me and using Tifa's powers." Asuna stated, looking at her free hand with a smile, "It's like the moment my Keyblade transformed into those gloves, I felt her soul take over how I fought and thought. Pretty handy to have to throw off my opponent."

"Agreed. But it does look like we can't just spontaneously unleash it." Kirito noted, "We have to actually engage our opponents a bit before unleashing its' power. Plus, there's a time limit in using it."

"Seems like I might need to practice these Soul Burst powers on our off-time, too, so I can understand the strength and limits." Yui summed up, "But even so, I cannot wait to see what I can do with my Soul Burst!"

"Right. You never did use the Soul Drives, so this experience is new to you." Kirito realized, smiling down at her, "You'll get use to it, just like us."

"Yeah, but right now, let's go and see if there are any more citizens in danger!" Asuna told the two, and she led them down the streets towards the back alleys, making their way towards the Big Olive district of the city.

* * *

At this point, Sora, Donald and Goofy had just made it past beds of flames by sliding on Goofy's shield like a sled. They then went over some rooftops, making their way to the next level of the city, which they found out was called Thebes, saving citizens along the way.

What Sora also figured out was that he and his companions were also able to perform unified attacks when one or both of them were ready. At one point, Sora and Goofy were able to perform the technique, Goofy Bombardment, where Goofy rocketed himself and Sora high into the air, before Sora tossed Goofy back to the ground, shield-first, creating a destructive shockwave as a result.

They were able to save a guy who was hiding in a building near the gardens of Thebes, who thanked them and gave them a Hi-Potion for them to use. "That's another rescue taken care of!" Goofy stated as they raced along the marble road.

"Hopefully Herc and our friends are doing just as great of a job as we are!" Sora stated, running past a fountain with a string instrument leaning against it.

Just then, the trio heard the sound of a woman crying out, "Someone, heeeelp! Where did all these monsters come from?!"

"Sounds like trouble!" Donald realized, and the team readied their weapons as they dashed down the steps towards the scene. Sure enough, there was a bunch of Flame Cores about, and on top of a pillar was a blue-dressed woman, cowering at the sight of the monsters.

"Hercules, where are you?!" She cried out in desperation.

"Help is on the way!" Goofy declared as they dashed down the last few steps.

"We'll put these hotheads out!" Sora assured the woman.

"Hang on up there!" Goofy added.

The woman looked surprised and confused as she called down, "Huh? Who are you three? WHERE is Hercules?"

"Hey, we're heroes, too!" Donald argued as the trio went to work, taking out the Heartless left and right. They gave the woman a good distraction for her to slowly crawl down the pillar, but out of sight from the Heartless. It took the team a couple minutes, but they cleared out the area.

Once they were done, the woman dashed towards the trio, beaming happily at them. "Thank you. You're so kind." she told them, "Keep training and one day you'll be great heroes just like Hercules." She giggled and waved goodbye, then ran to safety.

"Keep training? Is it that obvious?" Sora asked, twisting around to look at his figure.

"Just for you!" Donald sassed, getting a 'Hey!' From Sora.

"II think we all have a ways to go." Goofy stated, "And I bet Kirito, Asuna and Yui are the same, too. But we'll get there together!"

"Yeah, we will!" Sora agreed, while Donald rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

As they took off, the trio failed to notice someone sitting on top of the opposite pillar from where the woman hid herself on. All that could be seen at this moment was that she wore a black and purple-trimmed coat, with the hoodie covering her face. "So, these are the little pipsqueaks that Pete spoke about, huh? Not really that threatening to me." She sassed, "Maybe I should make things a little more desperate for them. Enough to snuff out their and the other 'heroes' lights!"

She stood up on the pillar, and from dark energies, summoned a large, two-handed greatsword. She then held it like a bat, pulling it back before unleashing a horizontal slash that sent an energy beam of dark energy towards another building. Sora caught the sight of the attack, and saw it slice the pillars, causing the building to crumble, and start to fall, only to be caught by something within.

"What the-!" He gasped, looking behind, but all he saw was a Corridor of Darkness vanish on top of the pillar.

"What's up, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I thought... I saw someone unleash something at that building!" Sora stated, looking back at the crumbling building, "We gotta make sure no citizens are in trouble!" He made a mad dash towards the building, with Donald and Goofy following behind him.

They slid down a hill, finding herbs of sorts that Goofy decided to pick up, saying that these looked good for ingredients for cooking. Why he was thinking about food at a time like this was beyond Sora or Donald.

They went through another ruined building, then dealt with more Air Soldiers while doing a wall run over a pit of flames. It was pretty difficult, but Sora figured that it was a good training session to deal with aerial opponents in big situations. Sure, Donald ended up falling in the flames, but rebounded back up to safety with his fail on fire. He quickly slammed it on the ground until the fire was out, but was so angry, his magic was bursting at the seems, which Sora helped unleash, performing Flare Force together, sending rockets flying and exploding everywhere. "Keep moving Sora shouted, and the trio kept going after ending the Heartless.

* * *

At the same time, the SAO trio were close to the building that nearly collapsed, and made their ways through the aqueducts to make it to the scene. "This way!" Yui cried out, racing to the building.

Kirito then noticed some Heartless on the cliff near them that held bows in their hands, and saw them draw their arrows, pointing at Yui. "Yui, heads up!" he shouted, quickening his haste towards her. The Heartless fired their arrows, and as Yui saw it coming, Kirito got in the way and deflected them with his Keyblade. "You gotta be more careful!" he scolded her.

"S-Sorry, papa." She apologized.

"Keep away from my daughter!" Asuna shouted, unleashing Water spells at the Heartless, knocking them off to the ground. Kirito joined his girlfriend, with Yui right behind them, eliminating the Heartless.

"What were those?" Kirito asked, "I never saw those Heartless before.

"They are Bizarre Archers." Yui analyzed, "They tend to be in high places, out of reach, so they can attack from a distance." She looked down, feeling guilty as she stated, "Sorry for rushing in without thinking."

"It's not your fault." Asuna assured her, looking to Kirito, "After all, your father is someone who does the exact same thing almost all the time. I'm sure you just learned THAT from your father's behavior."

"Why am I the one to blame for this?" Kirito asked in a bemused manner.

Suddenly, the building behind them was starting to crumble more, reminding them why they came. "Let's save the blame game after we save those inside that building!" The black swordsman told the girls, and he rushed in towards the building.

When they entered, they saw a few citizens in there, cowering in fear. They also saw what was keeping the ceiling from fully collapsing; Hercules. He was holding up the largest piece in there, and it seemed to be the only thing he could do at the moment.

"Oh, no!" Asuna gasped, just as Sora, Donald and Goofy arrived from the other entrance.

"Herc!" Sora called out to the Demi-god.

Hercules looked to see that the other six arrived on the scene. "Guys!" He then grimaced as more of the ceiling started to break apart, adding more weight on top of him. However, what really caused the team trouble was the fact that the path behind Sora's team was blocked by another part of the ceiling.

"No!" Donald exclaimed, seeing their back way blocked.

"We gotta help Herc, and save the citizens!" Kirito ordered the team.

Suddenly, a batch of Heartless suddenly appeared on the scene, scaring the citizens even more. "More Heartless!" Sora noted in a panic.

"You take them." Hercules ordered the group, "We need to save these people!"

"But what about you?!" Asuna asked as the six readied their weapons.

"Can you hold the building?" Sora followed.

"No problem!" Herc answered, smirking as he was under the strain of holding the ceiling up.

"We might have a few minutes, so let's make this quick!" Kirito told the group, and they all took on the Heartless.

It started off with just Flame Cores to start, but then Shadow Heartless arrived on the scene to also add in their own terror. The six unleashed all they could onto the Heartless, but it was clear they needed to do more. Fortunately, their Mark of Mastery did give them a nice new bit of powers to work with.

Asuna used the Water spell several times, before feeling the spell could be used to an even stronger level. "Time to see if I can't unleash this spell at its' max limit!" Asuna declared, pointing her Keyblade at three Flame Cores. She then unleashed the even stronger Watera spell, which made a bigger splash upon impact, defeating all three Heartless at once.

"Alright!" Sora cheered, turning to his group of Heartless, then feeling a surge of energy from his Keyblade. "Let's go! **Second Form!** " Sora then bursted with energy, and started to glow. He could feel familiar skills and techniques coming back to him thanks to the power he unleashed. He then went into a combo of moves that quickly knocked out the Heartless about him, ending with his familiar Ripple Drive, creating a sphere of energy that blasted Heartless upwards.

"My turn!" Yui declared, backing away from the Heartless, and summoning her Keyblade momentarily, " **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " Yui's Keyblade shined as the ghostly image of her original self from SAO appeared above her in a curled up ball, before diving into her Keyblade. Her Keyblade shined and exploded into flames, transforming into the large, deletion-programmed sword she summoned many times before. She floated in the air as she readied to fight.

She then flew in, unleashing sword swings in a combo with the sword that was longer than her height. She even created shockwaves when unleashing the final moves to her combos, sending all the Heartless that came in its' wake vanishing, with the exception of the Flame Cores, who withstood the attacks due to Yui's attacks being more fire-elemental. Fortunately, the others were able to make up for this with their own skills.

"Let's end this, Yui!" Sora shouted as the two Second Form users were ready to perform their Finisher/Finale moves.

"I'll start things off, and you finish it, okay?" Yui told him, and she raised her Keyblade high, encircling some Air Soldiers that came into the fight with an orb of flames. She then performed her Finale, Program Delete, ending not just the Air Soldiers, but also other Heartless within the vicinity, with the exception of the Flame Cores.

"Let's go!" Sora declared, and he unleashed Sonic Blade, dashing blade first into each Flame Core several times in a row before finishing with one blow, ending the final Heartless.

"Those two are unstoppable!" Donald exclaimed.

"Way to go, you guys!" Goofy cheered. Sora and Yui reverted back to normal as they high-fived one another for successfully clearing the Heartless.

"Get the people out!" Hercules called to the team, really struggling to hold up the ceiling.

"Way ahead of you!" Kirito responded as he, Asuna, Donald and Goofy were first to the citizens, making sure they were getting out of the place safely.

"It's okay. Just come with us to safety!" Asuna told the little boy in the group in a sisterly tone, holding her hand as she raced her out of the place.

Sora and Yui stopped to see Hercules, wondering if they should help him. However, they didn't have the strength like he did. After a few seconds, they begrudgingly left the hero to hold up the ceiling, joining the others outside.

They raced towards the grassy area where Kirito's team fought the Bizarre Heartless before, before hearing the sound of the building giving full way, shaking the ground around them. The building sent dust and debris flying, but Kirito and Goofy raised their weapons in defense, protecting the people behind them.

When the dust settled, they looked to the citizens they rescued, seeing them all were still okay. However, what worried them was the sight of the fallen building. There was no sign of any detail that showed them that the one they left behind was still okay.

"Hercules!" Shouted the six heroes, calling for their friend. No response. They looked at one another, worried for the worst. However, their worries were dashed away when through the dust, they saw the familiar, muscular figure. Hercules came out of the debris, brushing off pieces of the building, but miraculously unscathed.

He smiled as the six heroes raced up to him, with Sora exclaiming, "You scared us!"

"We thought you became Greek flatbread!" Asuna followed, giving a sigh of relief.

"It's nothing. That's what THESE are for!" Hercules replied, pumping his arms and showing his muscles. Donald and Goofy imitated him, chuckling at his ability to brush off something so crazy.

Suddenly, Kirito sensed the darkness forming near him, and turned to see a Corridor of Darkness forming. And out came a man that was giving them a round of applause. A man with black and silver-striped hair, tied in a ponytail, and wore an eyepatch over his right eye. It was the marksman of the Organization, Xigbar.

"Oh, wow! Very nice, full marks." he told Hercules and the others.

"Go away!" "No Organization!" Donald and Goofy barked fiercely at him.

"Looks like we get to meet one of the Organization members already." Kirito growled, readying his Keyblade.

"You're Xigbar!" Sora noticed.

"All this altruism is giving me the warm and fuzzies." Xigbar sarcastically stated, "So then, does having a heart of light come with an extremely good insurance policy?"

"Why don't you get straight to the point!" Asuna barked at him.

"Oh, but I did though." he replied, "No good will ever come from putting other people first."

"What?!" Asuna snapped, getting a sense of deja vu. It reminded her of what Gouxus told her during her Mark of Mastery.

"I was able to save Meg's life because I was ready to risk my own." Hercules argued.

"Because you've got friends in high places, you mean." Xigbar retorted, "Tricks like that don't fly for your average joe." Hercules wanted to make a counterargument, but couldn't find one. Xigbar did speak the truth.

"What do you know?" Sora butted in, "You weren't even there! If you were, you'd admire Herc's courage."

"Right, and his courage brought forth a miracle to overcome the odds, so don't say it was a fluke!" Yui added.

"Miracle, fluke... It doesn't matter." Xigbar responded, walking away from the group, "I don't admire one guy leaping into danger if it means someone else might have to jump in to save him. You're all just lining up to lose out. Dooming others to take the fall with ya." He then stopped and turned his head around to look at them, "Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yes, hearts are powerful when they're connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, some of those hearts might end up breaking."

He pointed at the spiky-haired Keyblade wielder as he continued, "Still, Sora, that doesn't mean you should change. Accept the power you're given. Find the hearts joined to yours."

"Why would I ever take advice from YOU?!" Sora demanded.

"As if!" Xigbar threw his catchphrase as he walked away, "You don't have any choice but to follow this sweet little trail of bread crumbs. And at the end, you'll finally realize what destiny has in store for you." He stopped walking as he finished, "In fact, your reward might be right around the corner. You're so close!" He chuckled as he disappeared into the dust, vanishing from sight.

"Hearts breaking? Whose hearts?" Sora wondered out loud, looking down at the ground in confusion.

"Hey, don't let his words get the better of you, Sora." Kirito told him, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah. All he's doing is trying to get under your skin, just like how the Organization members all try to do that." Asuna stated, walking to Sora's other side, "But were stronger than he is. Let's prove him wrong, okay?"

Sora looked to his two friends as Hercules approached him as well, adding, "Your friends are right. We'll show him that our sacrifices haven't been for nothing."

Sora eventually smiled as he responded, "You're right." Kirito and Asuna looked pleased at Sora's positivity returning.

Goofy nodded in agreement, then said, "Besides, we're already proof enough!"

"We're a team! When we're together, we can do anything!" Donald declared.

"And as long as our hearts are filled with hope and light, we can overcome any obstacle!" Yui finished.

"Yeah!" Sora responded. It was always great to have his allies help overcome his doubts. Yet, as they wandered back to the center square, he stopped, looking back at where Xigbar left. One thing he said before still bothered him. "...What reward?" He muttered, wondering what could he gain for following this path. Deciding to shrug it off, he continued following the others back to the aqueducts.

Just as they were making their way back to the center of town, they could feel the ground rumbling. However, this was not an earthquake, but something that felt like heavy footsteps. Something big was out to meet them. They exited the aqueducts to a fountain, where they came face to face with a monster Heartless that was huge, large shoulders with spikes protruding from them, and a heavy axe with a face on it.

"What is that?!" Sora exclaimed as Donald squawked in a panic.

"A Rock Troll Heartless!" Yui analyzed, "They are as big as they are strong, but slow as well!"

"We gotta make sure it gets taken out before it does more damage to Thebes!" Hercules told the team, and they charged in to fight it.

Just then, Soldier Heartless appeared out of nowhere, and came in to support the Rock Troll as it used the long reach of its axe to hammer down at the oncoming opponents. Kirito and Goofy attempted to block the attack, but the shockwaves did send them and Sora flying. Asuna quickly avoided the attack as she raced forward and unleashed slashes and stabs with her Keyblade, striking the Golem. Yui and Donald used their combined Wind and Fire spell to knock back a couple of Soldiers. Hercules went for the Troll, and punched it hard, sending it tumbling a good distance away from him.

Sora recovered from the attack, and came at the Rock Troll in full force, unleashing a Fire Spell at its' face. When it connected, Sora felt a new power that emanated from within. It felt like he could summon something that would aid him in his next attack.

"Let's see if this works. **Attraction: Pirate Ship!** " Sora raised his Keyblade high, and he summoned a spiral of lights. All of a sudden, the ground underneath him became water as he jumped up and dove in. A second later, a large glowing pirate ship, littered with lights, came out of the water, and started swaying back and forth, like one of those amusement park pirate ship rides. Everyone stood clear as he swayed the ship back and forth, creating magic balls of water front and behind, depending on which way he was swaying. He was taking out the Soldiers with his attack, and was knocking the Rock Troll back with this attack, too.

"Time to end this!" Sora shouted, and he sent the pirate ship looping several times, sending magic balls of water everywhere, taking out any remaining Soldiers, and leaving the Rock Troll near death's door. As soon as the attack stopped, the pirate ship vanished in a glitter of lights, and Sora landed on the ground, smirking.

"That looked like tons of fun!" Yui said with glee.

"An unorthodox way of fighting, but it did the job." Kirito pointed out.

"It reminded me of those carnival rides that I use to see when I was a child." Asuna stated, "Quite an interesting twist to how to use it to fight."

"I know, right? But it was fun!" Sora replied.

"Heads up!" Goofy cried out, as the Rock Troll Heartless hopped onto his axe and started spinning around like a top, slowly nearing towards the team. They nearly forgot it was still alive. They managed to avoid getting hit by it, while Hercules picked up some rubble and tossed it at the giant Heartless, causing it to falter as it span.

"Now's your chance!" He called to the heroes.

"Right! Asuna!" Kirito shouted, and the two went into a Team Attack, Great Separation. They dashed forward with their Keyblades glowing like they activated a Sword Skill, and blitzing right past the Rock Troll, forming a glowing X underneath it. They created two more sets of Xs, forming a twelve-spoked circle with no circumference. Suddenly, an illusion of Aincrad rose from the center of the spokes. Kirito and Asuna sheathed their blades like they would in the virtual games, and energy surged from the Aincrad illusion, creating a wide-ranged blast of energy that destroyed the Rock Troll once and for all.

"Nice!" Sora cheered as he, Donald, Goofy, Yui and Hercules joined the pair.

"Glad that worked out." Kirito sighed, "That move had us use the lore of Aincrad to defeat it."

"I guess our past helped us create a new move to use for the future." Asuna stated, "Can't wait to see what else we can do when we pair up with others."

Just then, the team heard a whinny, and saw Pegasus fly down to meet them, with Meg and Phil still on his back. They landed near them as Meg looked to Hercules and said, "Nice job, Wonderboy. We checked the whole area. It looks like everyone's safe."

"That's great. We did what we could." Herc replied, with the others pleased that things calmed down around town.

Meg looked to the group as a whole as she stated, "You heroes have been busy little bees." Sora, Donald, Goofy and Yui looked proud at their achievements, with Kirito and Asuna acting a bit more humble than them.

Just then, Pegasus whinnied again, pointing something out to Meg and Phil. They looked as Meg muttered, "Oh... Look. More trouble!"

"Guess your hero's duties ain't over, champs!" Phil told the team, pointing towards the direction they were looking. Dark clouds were swirling about the upper parts of Mount Olympus, consuming the sky in darkness.

"That's not a good sign..." Asuna muttered, her eyes narrowing in seriousness.

"It's Hades!" Herc realized.

The six heroes looked at one another, and understood in unison what had to be done. "Herc, let's go!" Sora declared.

"Right." He answered, and they raced on ahead, with Pegasus taking his pair to the sky once more. They made their way out of the city, towards the mountain off in the distance.

What they didn't notice was the same person that attack the building before with her sword was sitting on top of a nearby building, looking down as the heroes left. "Looks like that wasn't enough to snuff out their lights, huh?" She noticed, "Well, whatever is waiting for them at the top of that mountain, it's sure to take them out for good. It should give those two the time they need to find that box."

She stood up, and brushed her lavender hair back. Her coat opened to reveal her variant purple dress hugging her well-endowed figure. She opened her eyes to reveal deep red color, and a mischievous expression on her face.

"Oh, well..." She said, summoning her greatsword again, sticking it blade first into the marble and leaning her body onto it, "I guess if they survive this ordeal, I might just have to ask daddy if I'm allowed to officially say 'hi' to them. Then, I'll personally destroy their disgusting light!"

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Realm of Gods! Clash of the Titans!**


	3. Realm of Gods! Clash of the Titans!

**Hiya readers! Before I get into the story, I want to talk to you about something serious. I ended up having to delete a few reviews since the last chapter, where either they showed nothing but dislike for my story, wanted characters offed at certain points, or suggested too many worlds they wanted. So let me clear things up for all of you on those things.**

 **First, this is Fanfiction. To say a story like this should not exist is not something you should vocally speak out, or type out, to the world. If you don't like my story, that's fine. Don't read it. But if you are just trying to start up a rage storm, then I will delete your review.**

 **Someone mentioned repeatedly that they wanted Yui offed along with Kairi, or certain other characters to be killed. I will spoil this on you; Yui will not die! So stop trying to put down the mood by demanding certain characters to be killed. The reviews will be deleted.**

 **As for worlds, I will repeat this over and over again until it gets into everyone's minds; I CHOSE ALL THE ADDED WORLDS FOR MY STORY LONG BEFOREHAND! This has been years in the making while we waited for Kingdom Hearts III to come. I had planned out which worlds are gonna be there, and what stories will unfold from each one. I get that everyone wants their own favorite worlds to be part of the story, and some of you might be disappointed, while others might like the choices I made. There will be cameo appearances from other characters from other games and anime, and possibly a Disney-owned series or two. But otherwise, I have everything planned out.**

 **Lastly, I will tell you that I will go back and for with SAK: Heart's Origin and this series, up until a certain point. Then, I'll mainly focus on Heart's Origin for a while, along with the Chain of Memory's Arc, and another arc that happens after that, before setting right back into this story. There will be a couple more chapters of this before I pause so as not to spoil too much of what is to come, but you will know why Sora, Hercules, or anyone else knows about Philia. You might also expect a Final Mix chapter that explains what happened to Recon after the door in SAKII was closed.**

 **In the meantime, relax, enjoy my story, and leave a review that doesn't fall under the categories shown above.**

* * *

The team soon realized the difference in time from being blown off the mountain by Hades to actually walking back to the foot of the mountain. "That took a while..." Asuna sighed in relief, massaging the sole of her feet before placing it back in her boots.

"Come on, it wasn't that far." Hercules stated, "Phil even makes me make it to the foot of this mountain and back to Thebes ten times a day."

"That's nuts!" Donald and Sora exclaimed.

"That's just superhuman..." Kirito muttered.

"C'mon, fellas!" Goofy called to the team, as he was moving on ahead, "We need to get to the top of the mountain and stop Hades!"

"Hold on!" Asuna halted him, "Can't he tell Yui needs a time out?" She looked to her daughter, who was drinking some water they packed. She was clearly the most exhausted out of the group.

"I'll be okay..." she answered, "I'm just not use to walking long distances like this."

"Agreed. Most of the time, we are carried long distances by something." Kirito recalled, "Now, we gotta learn to hoof it from now on."

While Asuna was tending to Yui, the boys went on ahead to examine the path onward. However, Hercules was looking at the rushing waters along the path. "What is it, Herc?" Sora asked.

"It's odd. The river's never this full." He explained, looking on ahead, "Something is wrong here..."

"Air Soldiers incoming!" Goofy cried out, pointing to the sky, where over half-a-dozen of the said Heartless were flying down to attack the team.

"We're on it!" Sora declared, readying his Keyblade as he led the charge against the Air Soldiers, beginning with a powerful slash.

* * *

 _(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)_

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

"That was easy!" Sora cheered as he and the team finished taking on the Air Soldiers.

"Nothing a bunch of heroes can't handle!" Hercules declared, pumping his arms to demonstrate their strength. Donald and Goofy imitated Hercules by pumping their arms.

Kirito smiled at them as he heard Asuna and Yui finally joining them. "Sorry for not being able to help." Yui apologized.

"It's okay. You needed to rest up." Kirito assured her.

"Especially since we also got this entire mountain to climb." Asuna stated, looking towards the top, which was hidden by dark clouds.

"You ready, Yui?" Sora asked her. The little girl smiled and nodded, ready to go.

"Let's first figure out why the river is so high now." Hercules stated, looking to the rushing waters.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of Donald panicking, followed by Goofy shouting, "Help!" The five others raced to the aid of their comrades, only to see new Heartless they never saw before. They had similarities to Flame Cores they fought before, except instead of fire, they were consumed in orbs of water, and their bottoms looked like they were dripping dreadlocks. They were already giving Donald and Goofy a hard time.

"What are those?!" Asuna demanded as Yui pulled out her scanner to analyze them.

"According to this, they are known as Water Cores." Yui analyzed, "They are not only able to unleash water-based attacks, but create barriers of water around their bodies."

"And I bet that's the reason why the river's flooded." Hercules understood.

"Meaning Water magic is useless against them!" Asuna understood, seeing a Water Core unleash a powerful blast of water from its' mouth at her, and she blocked with her Keyblade, "In that case... **Blizzard!** " She unleashed her ice-magic, and the Heartless froze in its' place, falling to the ground like an icicle.

"This'll work!" Kirito answered, and he charged in, unleashing a combo slash that shattered the Heartless.

"Let's go!" Donald declared, unleashing a Thunder spell to electrocute the Heartless, which proved quite effective, as well.

The team realized that the Water Cores were much more enduring than the Flame Cores, but knowing their weaknesses helped take care of the Heartless. Plus, there was one more thing that benefited them in the end.

Yui and Sora were side by side, with the last three Water Core coming at them. "Sora, I feel like I can pull of a Team Attack move with you!" Yui told him.

"Alright. Let's see what it can do!" Sora declared. They went back-to-back, with Keyblade and tessen in hand, charging wind magic into their weapons. They then performed their Team Attack, Homing Tornado, spinning around, connecting their weapons together, and throwing six cyclones that homed in on the Heartless, causing them to create a splash effect of wind upon contact on each Heartless, defeating them.

"Nice going, you two!" Asuna told them as they placed their weapons away.

"Look! The water's reseeding." Goofy noticed, seeing the river start to die down until it became calming stream.

"Great! Can we get a move-on?" Donald asked, "We gotta stop Hades!"

"Hold on." Asuna stopped him, seeing something in the dirt that sparkled. She dug into it, and pulled out what looked like a pair of cufflinks, with a water emblem on it.

"Are they badges?" Sora asked.

"No, they are cufflinks." Yui corrected, "But why did it catch your attention, mama?"

"I'm not sure... But it is magical." Asuna pointed out, "I can feel a sort of power in it."

"Why don't you try them on and see what they can do." Kirito requested to her. She nodded in response, but looked at her gloves, not sure where to put them. She then decided to place them on the blue pieces on the lower arm parts of her gloves.

"We need to keep going!" Hercules told the others, "Come on!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Asuna apologized, and the team raced onwards to catch up with Hercules.

Scaling the mountain was not an easy task, especially in some parts that required wall-running, which Donald, Goofy and Yui were all still struggling to master. And to make matters worse, there were still Heartless all about the area as they climbed. However, Asuna discovered something about the new cufflinks that was beneficial, and the potential they could unleashed.

They found themselves back in the open area where they first fought Heartless in this world, only now, they were dealing with a new kind of Heartless; Earth Core. They were incredibly enduring, and their backsides were also immune to physical attacks. However, the biggest problem was the one who took the form of a sand monster that towered over them all, trapping them in the area

"It just keeps coming from all over!" Sora exclaimed, barely dodging out of the way as the sand-formed Heartless rose from the ground.

"Asuna, hit 'em with some magic!" Kirito called out.

"Right..." Asuna answered, readying her Keyblade, and shot Water spells continuously, feeling the power of the attack amplified for some reason. The Earth Core took the hits, but roared at Asuna as she felt a surge of power from within. She was able to perform a Grand Magic spell in this state.

"Let's go!" Asuna declared, grasping her Keyblade in two hands as her body became encased in a torrent of water, " **Waterza!** " The spell shot forward, and struck the Heartless. All of a sudden, the entire battlefield was consumed in a dome of water that was so powerful, it eliminated all remaining Heartless, and not just the one Asuna hit. Everyone was sent tumbling away, as well, narrowly avoiding getting struck hard by the attack. Goofy was the one who had it the worst, his body implanted into the rock wall, before collapsing to his back, dazed.

Asuna lowered her Keyblade and looked at her hand, shocked and amazed. "H-How did I do that?!" She demanded, "That was totally on a different level to any magic I used before!"

"Hang on a second!" Donald exclaimed, dashing to Asuna, looking at the accessories she found at the foot of the mountain. Finally, he gasped, "I knew it! Those aren't any ordinary cufflinks! They are rare, and can improve your water magic. You can even perform fourth-level magic!"

"Fourth-level magic?" Asuna asked, amazed, "But, I thought magic could reach up to the third stage."

"That's why it's so rare. Fourth-level is hard to reach." Donald pointed out.

"Guess maybe those accessories are much more magical than they look." Kirito stated, "I should keep an eye out, myself."

"Yeah! If we find more of those magic cufflinks, we can automatically unleash even stronger spells!" Sora exclaimed.

The team continued up the mountain, reaching back to the same place where they were sent flying by Hades and his titans. They did keep an eye out for anything useful for them. There were treasures they would stumble upon once in a while, and Goofy even got Asuna to join him in searching for ingredients, since she was such an excellent cook, but other than that, they were able to make progress.

They had just reached a ravine when the ground started to shake about them momentarily. There source of the shaking seemed to emanate from the mountain peak above the clouds.

"This sure feels awfully familiar." Goofy muttered.

"It's like what happened before." Kirito recalled.

"Guys, this is getting worse by the minute." Herc told the team, "I hope I'm wrong, but my family may need me." He looked to the sky, placed his fingers to his mouth, and whistled loudly. After a few seconds, Pegasus appeared, this time with nobody on him, and he flew down to where the team was at.

He looked to the trio of Keyblade wielders as he started, "Guys, I'm gonna fly ahead. You've been a big help, but... leave the rest to me."

"Family?" Sora questioned, confused

"Oh, you mean Zeus, the king of the gods, right?" Kirito realized, recalling his Greek Mythology.

"Yeah, that's right." Herc answered, climbing onto Pegasus's back, and taking off into the sky.

"Whaaaat?!" Sora, Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

"His father is a god?" Sora gaped, "But doesn't that mean Herc is a god, too?"

"I think it does!" Goofy replied.

"How'd you know who his father was?" Donald questioned Kirito.

"This world is similar to the mythology we learned in our world." Asuna answered.

"It's kinda how we understood some things in Pit's world, since it is also based off of the same genre of mythology." Kirito added.

"I'm kinda surprised, myself." Yui answered, scratching her cheek, "Though, I am more familiar with Norse Mythology than Greek."

While Sora looked confused at what they were talking about, Goofy chimed in, "Still, Herc'll be okay!"

"Won't he?" Donald followed.

Sora shook the confusion aside as he answered, "No. Organization XVI's here. He'll need our help."

"Fair point." Asuna agreed, "It'll be like what happened with Demyx all over again."

"Then we gotta go!" Goofy understood, turning towards the path ahead.

"Cause heroes never quit!" Donald declared.

Sora paused, thinking on the answer that Herc gave when explained how he was able to regain his powers through saving Meg. "We fight with all our heart." Sora muttered, recalling what he mentioned, and he gave a determined glare forward.

"Let's go!" Kirito declared, and he led the charge to the path ahead.

They made it through the ravine, finding a dead end with the sheer wall leading all the way up to the higher parts of the mountain. However, their time to examine the area was immediately cut short by the ground shaking hard, causing them to stagger. They looked up, and saw the sight of a massive monster above them. From what they could see, it was made out of rock, and it had two heads. However, they knew, without a doubt, that this was a...

"Titan!" Donald, Goofy and Yui exclaimed, seeing the monster from above, who had a large chunk of the mountain in its' hands. It tossed it down at the heroes, causing them to scatter as they avoid it crashing down on them, or any of its' pieces falling onto them, as well. One of the larger pieces flew over the heroes, and ended up blocking the path behind them. They were trapped.

"Now what do we do?!" Donald exclaimed.

"Only one way forward: Up!" Sora answered, and he began wall-running up the side of the mountain, while the rock monster continued to summon boulders to rain down onto the team, scattering the floor where they were at before. Seeing as their options were limited, they chose to scale the mountain with Sora, evading the falling rocks. Donald, Goofy and Yui were all somehow able to do it by sheer force of will... and sheer force of not wanting to die. As they climbed, the skies grew darker and darker, setting the scene of a dangerous battle before them.

The Rock Titan stomped its' heavy feet, sending a cascade of large boulders to fall towards the heroes. Donald, Goofy and Yui had no choice but to find the nearest platform, and flatten themselves against it to avoid the oncoming rockfall. Asuna merely raced and dodged around the boulders, while Kirito and Sora resorted to leaping onto the oncoming falling rocks, using them as platforms to make their way up to the top. After one long run, they made a leap of faith as the landed on the next level of the mountain, narrowly falling to their doom.

"Are you okay?!" Asuna asked them as they panted from exhaustion.

"We'll be fine, but what about the others?" Sora asked, looking down to see the other half of their team standing far below them.

"We'll catch up!" Goofy shouted.

"Keep going!" Donald squawked.

"Don't worry about us!" Yui cried out.

The three Keyblade wielders looked at one another, then decided to let their friends climb up by themselves while they cleared the area on ahead.

They couldn't reach the Rock Titan where they stood, but there was a side-path that they could take that might give them a way up to where it stood. They took it, and started to feel droplets of rain falling about them.

"Great! A rainstorm!" Kirito grimaced, shielding his eyes as he looked at the falling rain, "Just what every tough fight needs!"

"And more enemies to try and slow us down, too!" Sora added, seeing the Heartless composed of Air Soldiers and Shadows appearing.

"We can't let them overwhelm us." Asuna stated, readying her Keyblade, "Let's take them out, and clear the path onwards!" The trio began eliminating the Heartless as they came, avoiding unleashing too much power so they could save it the for the humongous target high above them. They managed to clear them out, and right on time, as Donald, Goofy and Yui finally made it to the top to join them.

They went through a rock arch, racing along the cliff side of the mountain, and felt the quaking footsteps of the monster above them. Asuna looked up to see the Rock Titan with a giant rock in its' hand, and hurled it down at the heroes. "Watch out!" She shouted, grabbing Yui by the hand and pulling her to one side, while everyone else ducked out of the way. The boulder struck the edge of the cliff, causing part of the path to break off and fall to the hidden ground below. This also caused rocks to shake loose and block the path behind them.

"That was too close!" Yui exclaimed.

"We gotta take it out before it destroys the entire mountain!" Kirito told the team, and he led the charge as they continued on the path, and found a smooth surface of the cliff to wall-run up. This was clearly the longest wall-run they made thus far, and it was already tough enough for them to climb it, let alone evade a ton more boulders that were cascading down to try and take them out. Donald, Goofy and Yui were unable to make it to the top so easily.

They collapsed to the bottom of the wall, and looked up to see more boulders coming their way. Donald and Goofy panicked, while Yui curled her fists, and produced her Keyblade, shouting, " **Second Form: Yuna!** " She raised her Keyblade high, making the tip shine as the illusion of Yuna, wearing attire similar to the ones Yui wore in her last adventure, before diving into her Keyblade. It shined brighter as Yui grabbed the middle of the blade's shaft, twirling it as she spun around, and it transformed into a summoner's staff, which she grasped in two hands gently, readying herself for a fight.

"Go!" She shouted, and she raised her staff high, producing a magic circle. All of a sudden, bird/wyvern-like beast suddenly appeared from the magic circle, and unleashed sonic waves of energy from its' wings, blasting the boulder.

Donald and Goofy endured as the boulder pieces fell about them, while the beast Yui summed came down to her. "Valefor, can you help us to the top?" Yui asked insistently. It screeched in response, landing on the ground. The trio climbed onto its' back, and it took to the sky, evading the falling boulders.

Meanwhile, the other three had made their way to the top, and were standing at the feet of the Rock Titan. "Now what?!" Asuna demanded, looking up at the underside of the Titan.

"Let's bring it to us!" Sora declared, bringing out his Keyblade, and slamming it hard into the feet of the Titan.

"Worth a shot!" Kirito responded, racing to the other foot and started slicing at it with his Keyblade. Asuna looked to the two boys, and went to Sora, helping him out.

The Titan felt the actions the trio were doing, and slowly raised the foot Kirito was slashing, before slamming it down, creating a shockwave of earth that Kirito barely evaded. "Good thing this thing is as slow as a rock!" He stated, getting back into the fight.

Meanwhile, there were sudden lines of magic energy that caused rocks to fly up at Sora and Asuna, who avoided the attacks whenever they sensed them coming. The two continued to unleash combo slashes together, slowly forming cracks in the monster's foot.

"Sora, I feel some power within me!" Asuna called out, "It's telling me to perform a Team Attack with you!"

"Then let's go!" Sora declared, and they clashed their Keyblades together, causing energy to surge between them. They performed their Team Attack, Sonic Star. Facing the foot, the pair floated into the air, held the blades close to their face, before raising them high, summoning stars around them, before thrusting their blades forward in unison, causing the stars to home in on the foot, peppering away at it. They then pulled back their blades, ready to thrust, and their blades glowed blue. They thrusted forward, and brought themselves down at the foot, piercing right through it. The combined amount of damage was just what they needed, and they caused the foot to be cracked all over, revealing the red internal energy.

"That's one down...!" Kirito stated, seeing the damage they did, before backing off from another shockwave from the foot. He skidded to a halt as he turned to see a monster fly up to the scene. He first thought it was hostile, before seeing his daughter, Donald and Goofy riding on top of it. "What...?!" He gasped, seeing the trio hop off Valefor.

Yui waved her summoner's staff forward as she shouted, "Go!" She slammed her staff on the ground, creating a magic circle. The Valefor created its' own complex magic Circle, performing its' Finale, Energy Nova, unleashing a powerful ray of energy from the magic circle, focused down at the foot, damaging it so much, it became as cracked as Sora and Asuna's foot. Yui's staff reverted to her Keyblade, which she reverted back to her tessen.

"Nice one, Yui!" Goofy cheered as the Rock Titan roared in pain, before falling backwards into the mountain, collapsed from being unable to sustain itself on its' own feet.

"Yuna's Soul Burst is really strong!" Yui stated, looking at the damage she did.

"We gotta hit it while it's down!" Sora shouted, racing past the team and performing his Flowmotion acrobatics to scale up the Rock Titan, reaching its' heads. Kirito and Asuna came together, and with the lady first, they followed Sora's path up to the heads, where he had already started slamming strike after strike against the Titan's head.

"This'll take forever!" Sora grimaced as the other two landed, and whacked his Keyblade against the head of the Titan. He suddenly felt a surge of energy that was similar to him summoning the Pirate Ship. He knew this power would be just the thing to stop it. He turned to the two and shouted, "Hold on! I got an idea!" He raised his Keyblade high as he shouted, " **Attraction: Mountain Coaster!** "

With a glittering of lights, Donald, Goofy and Yui looked to see a roller coaster suddenly appear from below, and they jumped upwards to avoid getting hit, before landing into three of the carts. It used a magic rollercoaster track to climb up to where the other three were at, and Sora jumped onto it, causing the head of the coaster, which had the look of an old steam-powered train, to whistle. Kirito and Asuna looked at each other before jumping onto the back two carts, right behind where Yui, Donald and Goofy were at.

"A rollercoaster?!" Kirito exclaimed, holding onto the rim of the cart.

"Here goes!" Sora shouted, focusing his magic into the train front, which unleashed flares of energy from its' chimney, striking the Rock Titan in an explosion similar to fireworks.

"Is anyone steering this thing?!" Donald exclaimed.

"Who knows?! It's working!" Yui stated, seeing the damage being blasted down onto the enemy.

"Look out!" Goofy shouted, seeing the Titan reel a fist towards their path. Sora aimed the Chimney Flare attack at the fist, knocking it off course. The coaster went down below the Rock Titan before climbing back up to it. It threw its' other fist at the group, but Sora deflected it with his ride.

They went up and around the backside of the Titan. It tried to catch them off guard by backhanding the coaster, but Asuna saw it coming and shouted, "Jump, now!" Sora flipped over the large arm, along with everyone else, settling themselves back into the coaster carts.

"It's almost down!" Kirito noticed, "Sora, take it out with one final shot!"

"Right! You're gonna like this!" He announced, and performed one final storm of flares, peppering the Titan so strongly, that it howled in agony as it lurched forward. It ended up falling all the way down, hitting the next level below, just as the team landed on the edge of where it stood before. They turned to see the path below give way, causing the Rock Titan to fall even further downward, vanishing from sight.

"Yes! That's one down!" Sora cheered with confidence.

"There was a few close calls, but I'd call that a win." Kirito stated, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"They're not so tough by themselves." Goofy pointed out.

"That one was dumb as a rock." Donald punned.

"Even so, we can't relax yet." Asuna warned them, "There are three others to worry about. Be on your guards!"

"Right. Let's keep going!" Sora declared, pointing out a path nearby, and running towards it, with the other five behind him.

They made their way along the rain-soaked path, seeing a cave off in the distance. Once they got inside, they took a moment to dry themselves and recover from their battle.

"No peeking!" Asuna shouted as she and Yui hid behind a rock, taking off some of their clothing to shake off the rain from it.

"I got it!" Kirito responded, shaking his jacket, "I wasn't planning to look!"

"It's certainly not nice to peek at a girl in this situation." Goofy pointed out to Donald and Sora as he rang out his hat.

Sora blushed, but was really not wanting to have Asuna's wrath brought down upon him. Plus, he wouldn't live with himself if Kairi found out, too. He just shook out his clothing, and made sure he was dried up enough to continue onward.

When they were all done, they continued onwards, seeing their path blocked by loose rubble. A golden light was shining through it, nearly blinding them. Sora and Kirito looked to one another, nodded, brought out their Keyblades, and with a battlecry, they struck the rocks with all their might. The rock broke apart, blinding the team for a moment. Then, when their eyes adjusted, they saw an awe-inspiring sight.

They were on the clouds, which were thick enough to walk on. Amongst the swirls and billows, there was a flight of grand stairs that led off to something that looked like a marble and gold building, along with a pair of golden gates.

"What a sight!" Asuna gasped, looking at the path.

"Is this the realm of the Gods?" Kirito asked, looking about the place.

"I bet Hercules is that way!" Sora assumed, pointing to the gates ahead, "Come on! No time to waste!" He hurried onwards, with the rest of the team behind them.

They raced up the stairs, seeing the golden gates open up for them. They passed through them, and went through the building that was really just an entryway with a thick, high-decorated door, which also opened up for them. When they entered through, they couldn't help but stop and be amazed at the sight they saw. It was almost like it was a great city made of clouds and Greek structures made of marble and gold. A place that was too difficult to describe into words, but it was clearly a place where the Gods truly resided on.

"Whoa...!" Sora, Kirito and Asuna gasped.

"Is this...Olympus?" Sora asked in awe.

"Gawrsh, it's amazing!" Goofy muttered.

"It almost feels like we died and gone to heaven..." Asuna compared, then added, "I mean, I know we're alive! But, still..."

Suddenly, the team heard the sounds of trumpets playing a tune that they were familiar with. "The fanfare?!" Donald noticed.

"Yeah, and it's playing for them!" Kirito noticed as they all pulled out their weapons for a group of Heartless that appeared in front of them. They looked like barbaric armored-knights with bull horns.

"Those are Saytrs!" Yui analyzed, "They are very dangerous in groups, and they have strong armor, too!" They watched as the group suddenly closed their visors, and they charged at the team as one.

"Get out of the way!" Donald shouted as they scattered, avoiding the charging brigade of Heartless. Asuna unleashed her Blizzard spell, while Sora unleashed Fire from both sides, causing some damage, but not enough do do much.

The Heartless suddenly turned to Kirito, Sora and Yui, and charged at them. The trio ran as fast as they could, getting away from the stampede coming their way. However, they were not fast enough, and got sent flying upwards, crying out in pain from the horns that bombarded them.

"Kirito! Yui! Sora!" Asuna shouted, seeing the trio fall to the ground, injured.

"How do we stop them?!" Donald questioned, looking about, hoping for some solution to come forth to them.

Goofy looked to see the Saytr Heartless turn, their spiraling eyes glowing from their helmets as they gazed at the trio they knocked down, prepared to attack them again. The captain of the guard then looked to his shield, then gasped, "I know what to do!" Donald and Asuna looked to him, wondering what he came up with.

The trio of knocked down heroes struggled to get back up as they looked to see the lead Saytr brushing his foot on the ground, ready to charge once more. Sora and Kirito could feel they were not able to get out of the range of the attack, and struggled to get to their feet as the Heartless charged.

"No!" The voice of the remaining trio shouted as one as they leapt over their fallen comrades, taking formation as Asuna and Donald held behind Goofy, while he had his shield ready, which started to glow. The Saytr ended up rebounding off of the shield, the combined magical defense too powerful to knock away. This was the trio's Team Attack, Trinity Shield.

"All together, now!" Goofy ordered. Asuna and Donald understood, and began their own charging bashes with the shield, bashing the Saytr group over and over again, pushing them further and further away from Kirito, Sora and Yui as they got to their feet. Then, after dazing them enough, The trio shouted, "Charge!" And they made one final dash that broke the armor of the Saytr, leaving them vulnerable for attacking.

"Great going, guys!" Sora cheered as he, Kirito and Yui brandished their weapons, and began the charge against the Heartless, who were so disorganized now, they couldn't be prepared to strike back immediately against the oncoming trio. They all worked together, and within moments, took out the Heartless with relative ease.

When they were done, they gathered together, with Kirito, Sora and Yui sharing a potion to heal their wounds. "That was pretty impressive thinking there." Kirito commended.

"Thank Goofy." Asuna replied, looking to the blushing character, "He came up with the tactic to counteract those Heartless.

"I wonder if that means we can come up with our own trinity Team Attacks?" Yui asked.

"Let's figure that out later." Sora replied, "Herc needs our help. Let's keep going!"

The team nodded in response, and they took off towards the steps that led them onwards.

While the area was so grand, that they would just wanna stop and stare about the place, there was no time for that. Especially when there were Heartless around each corner, ambushing them. There even was another giant sand monster form of the Earth Core that gave them more trouble than the last, but fortunately, Sora and Goofy came up with the solution of performing the 'Goofy Bombardment' Team Attack to have Goofy go down the throat of the Heartless, destroying it easily from the inside.

That wasn't to say that the Heartless were clever, too. The Bizarre Archers and Air Soldiers were quite clever by working together, with the latter having the former in their clawed toes, and flying them about in the air as the archers shot their arrows. It was clear now that even in this stage, the Heartless were more clever than their previous battles with them.

The path branched out in two paths at one point, and they chose to split up by drawing straws to see who would go which way. In the end Sora, Goofy and Asuna took one path, while Kirito, Yui and Donald took the other path.

With Kirito's team, they ended up reaching a glowing rail that was made for grinding. Kirito led the trio as they went in and out of the clouds, dealing with Vermillion Samba, a variant of the Red Nocturne Heartless in the past, who tried bombarding the team with flaming dashes. Fortunately, Kirito's incredible timing helped him slashed each Heartless before they hit him, taking each and every one of the Heartless out.

Meanwhile, Sora's team ended up reaching a waterway, where Sora slipped, fell and ended up falling down the waterway, falling down beneath the clouds after a drop. Asuna and Goofy followed, and soon discovered that they ended up landing in a forge. Asuna immediately though how amazed Liz would be at the sight of a place like this, and Sora wondered if they could make something here.

They found the anvil, and a dial on the floor that, with a little help from Sora 'Teacup Ride' Attraction skill, they were able to use. Using the spinning ride, they rotated the dial, which began rotating the metal pots of boiling liquid above them, eventually lining them up to make it function. Each liquid poured into each pot, making it spark and poof, eventually reaching the anvil, which shined brightly as something magically was created in front of the team. When the light died down, they discovered a new, upgraded shield for Goofy, designed for fire and burn protection. All in all, it was worth the trouble making it.

Eventually, the party joined up with one another against a swarm of Heartless that kept them from going further. Sora ended up deciding to try out the ability known as 'Shotlock'. He concentrated as he aimed his Keyblade at the Heartless swarm, and shouted, " **Shotlock: Ragnarok!** " He fired a salvo of light shots down at the swarm, causing a rain of damage to them all.

"C'mon, let's see what you guys can do!" Sora told Kirito and Asuna.

The pair looked at one another, then decided to give it a shot. ' _Just like how you did it with sis's Soul Drive...'_ Asuna told herself, thinking back on how she used Aqua's Shotlock while in her Soul Drive. Eventually, she could feel her Keyblade aiming at her target, then shouted, " **Shotlock: Shooting Star!** " She suddenly went into blinding speeds as she thrusted numerous times into the Heartless, magical coming from all sides, and eliminating the remaining targets on the battlefield.

"Way to go!" Sora cheered, while Kirito lowered his Keyblade, looking at his weapon. He didn't really figure out how to use the Shotlock himself, but he was sure that after a bit of training, he could learn it.

The team continued onward, and discovered the path they needed to take was up. Way, way up. There didn't seem to be any path for them to take, unfortunately. What was also there was a dark vapor energy that had a whole ton of debris just hanging about in the air above them.

"Here's our ticket up." Sora noticed.

"Uh... How are we supposed to get up there?" Donald asked.

"Maybe...we can climb it by using those debris as footholds." Kirito suggested.

"Can we really do that?" Yui asked.

"Sure. It's no different from our Flowmotion. Here, let me show you." Kirito raced up to get a good look at the path ahead, seeing the next level to reach. He saw the path he needed to take, and prepared himself. His feet glowed brightly, and he shot himself forward, ricocheting off of the debris before reaching the platform.

"Whoa!" The team below gasped.

"He was able to get there in no time at all!" Donald exclaimed.

"I think I remember that move." Sora recalled, "Wasn't that something called 'Airstepping'?"

"Sounds like the right name for it." Asuna replied, looking to Sora, "How did you know that?"

"Oh, just something I picked up from my training after the Mark of Mastery." Sora answered, and he raced over to the position Kirito took before, and concentrated on the same destination Kirito went to, and his feet glowed. He performed the Airstep technique, zooming all the way up to where Kirito stood.

"Come on!" Sora shouted down below, while Kirito found a machine that lowered a ring on a long chain down to where the team was. Asuna chose to try Airstepping herself, while the others used the long chain to climb up to join the others. Asuna ended up being successful with performing the Airstep, saying that it reminded her of similar skills from ALO.

After some more Airstepping, and helping Donald, Goofy and Yui make their way up, too, they eventually reached the very top, where they could clearly see a big battle up ahead. Behind a large pair of damaged golden gates, the remaining three Titans were there, made of ice, magma, and a literal tornado. The former two were trapping someone who looked like a muscular old man with white hair and beard in a pillar-like construct that was made from solidifying the magma with an icy breath. There was even a grouped of chained up characters, who the team assumed were gods, and the two little devil henchmen of Hades, Pain and Panic, were harassing them as they led them away. Hades was looking pretty relaxed at the success of what was happening.

"Oh, no!" Asuna exclaimed, "Hades is already captured people here!"

"I think they might be gods!" Goofy assumed.

"If that's the case, I bet that's Zeus being attacked by the Titans!" Kirito assumed, seeing the king of the Gods struggling to get out of the Titan's trap.

"Look!" Donald exclaimed, pointing to the sky. Hercules was still riding Pegasus as he was flying through the air, taking out Air Soldiers that tried to slow him down.

"I swear to you, Hades!" The team heard Zeus call out, "When I get out of th-!" He couldn't finish his sentence before the construct consumed his head, covering him fully up.

"No, I'm the one giving orders now, bolt boy." Hades replied, producing a seat for himself made of dark energy, then producing a drink, "And I think I'm gonna like it here."

He had just started to take a sip when Herc shouted, "Don't get too comfortable, Hades!" The Lord of the Underworld gave a spit-take as he looked to see Hercules and Pegasus flying down, his sword raised in his hand.

"We're gonna stop you!" Sora declared as he led the charge past the golden gates, the team's weapons at the ready. Hades was baffled at the sight of all the intruders on his plan.

Hercules and Pegasus dove down at the chained gods, and with one slash of his blade, the hero of Greece broke the chains, which magically disappeared, freeing the Gods.

This wrench in his plan angered Hades to no ends, then ordered his Titans, "Get them!", pointing at the six heroes. The magma and ice Titan stepped forward, coming to either side of the pillar they made to trap Zeus, glaring down at the heroes. The tornado Titan was hanging back, with no open place to come out and attack the heroes. Still the sight of three humongous monsters towering above them did make the six heroes a little worried.

"Guys!" Hercules shouted, leaping off of Pegasus, and joining their side, "It's on!" The six understood, as they prepared to face the Titans in front of them.

The Tornado Titan unleashed hurricane winds, which the team endured with all their might. The other two Titans used this moment to belch out molten lava and icicles down at the team. Asuna barely pulled Donald out from being turned into crispy-roasted duck, while Hercules punched the icicles that came near Yui and Sora, protecting them.

Hades, fortunately, got a full taste of the lava being drenched on top of him. He merely shook it off like it was mud, and growled, "Not me, them! Follow the finger...!" As he spoke, Kirito and Goofy drew the icicle attack away by having the attack followed him, and it ended up passing Hades and freezing his whole body over, except his eyes and mouth, as he finished, "...the yutzes with the Keyblades!"

"Chill out, Hades!" Sora punned, grinning as the wind died down, and the team went into action.

The Titans may have looked big and mighty, but they were dealing with people who have dealt with just as big and just as deadly foes, if not more so. Plus, given the elements they wielded, it was obvious what needed to be done magic-wise; Fire magic on the ice, and Water magic on the magma. Their heads were where they needed to strike more at, and while magic could easily reach them, they needed a way to reach them for physical moves. Fortunately, the very prison they made for Zeus was just the platform they needed to reach their faces.

Donald and Yui used a combo Fire and Aero spell to unleash a fiery tornado at the Ice Titan, while Asuna unleashed her powerful Waterza spell at the Lava Titan. Sora and Goofy went in for a double bash against the Ice Titan, while Kirito and Hercules slashed and punched a combo against the Lava Titan. The Black Swordsman backed off, his head sweating from how close he had to be to literal lava, as it roared at him and Herc.

"These Titans are no joke!" Hercules pointed out, while Goofy and Sora came back to back with them.

"Good thing I have gained just the trick to take care off them!" Sora declared, raising his Keyblade high, " **Second Form!** " He bursted with energy, regaining his old skills once more."

"Good thinking!" Kirito agreed, "Guess I'd better try something with a bit more weight and reach. **Soul Burst: Cloud Strife!** " His Keyblade shined as the spiky-haired guy he met in Hollow Bastion a long time ago appeared as a ghostly silhouette above him before diving into his Keyblade. Kirito grasped the handle in both hands as the Keyblade shined and lengthened, transforming into the Buster Sword, which he twirled about, then readied himself to fight with it in both hands.

The two boys went to work as the Titans unleashed their elemental blasts from their mouths. Sora and Kirito leapt up and out of the way, while Herc and Goofy leapt down from the structure, barely avoiding the attack. Sora began his chain of attacks against the Ice Titan, while Kirito unleashed powerful swings with his Buster Sword, even performing a Cross Slash at the end of his combo.

"Fellas, we gotta back them up!" Goofy shouted to the rest of the team as they saw the two Titans ready to counter attack against the boys.

"Right. Give them an opening!" Asuna shouted, unleashing her Water spell against the Lava Titan. Donald unleashed his own Water spell to join with her's. Goofy, Yui and Hercules supported Sora by using their shield, whirlwind, and a large piece of rubble, striking the body of the Ice Titan. Their distraction worked, causing the monsters to look towards them instead of the two boys, who were powering up for their next attack.

"Sora, you ready?!" Kirito asked as he went back to back with the said character.

"I'm ready as I'll ever be!" Sora answered, readying his Keyblade, "Here we go!"

The two went into their Finisher/Finale moves, with Sora unleashing Ars Arcanum, performing a deadly combo to the face of the Ice Titan, while Kirito performed 'Omnislash', slicing the Lava Titan with a powerful combo. The two boys ended with their final, charged up slashes, striking each of the Titans down with a deadly blow.

The five on the ground cheered in victory as Sora and Kirito landed on the ground, their forms reverting to normal. Hades roared in rage, causing him to break free of the ice.

"Just one Titan left!" Sora declared, turning to see the Tornado Titan bear down on the group. All of a sudden, the Titan gathered the solid clouds about Olympus, and created a new level on the battlefield, covering the heroes below. Yui and Donald unleashed a whirlwind that sent the seven of them on top of the clouds, where the only things that were there were the heads of the two defeated Titans, who were moved far away from the heroes to make room for the Tornado Titan to fight. A storm was also whipping about the area, enclosing the team in a cylinder of dark clouds, trapping them with the Titan.

The seven charged at the Titan as it lifted itself off the ground, and seem to place its tail somewhere far off, while its' head aimed at the team. Its' tail seem to gather up rubble of buildings, and the funneled fired it down at the heroes, causing them to scatter, dodge, or parry the building pieces back at the Titan.

"This ones more agile than the others!" Asuna stated as she, Donald and Herc joined up one another, heading at the Titan from one direction.

"But we're just as nimble, and smaller than he is!" Hercules pointed out, grabbing a piece of rubble the Tornado Titan threw, and hurling it right back at it, damaging it. It may be wind, but it was still solid enough to do damage to it. Plus, the six otherworlders were wielding magical weapons, so they could do damage to an elemental monster like this.

The Tornado Titan tried expanding its' bottom-half to push the others away, and it did push them back. However, Asuna used her Water spell to do a few more attacks to it. Unfortunately, three shots were all she could do before her magic energy was drained. She needed time to recover.

The Titan then lifted itself off the ground again, twisted its' body down at the heroes, and started sucking them in with hurricane winds, like a vacuum cleaner. The seven of them had no good foothold, and were carried right into the head of the Titan. They screamed and held onto their stomachs as they were spinning and hurled every which-way, until they were sent shooting extremely high into the air. Donald, Goofy, Yui and Hercules were sent tumbling one direction, far away from Sora, Asuna and Kirito as they flipped themselves in the air, and saw that they were directly above the Tornado Titan.

"Time to dive!" Sora declared, flying down at the Titan.

"It's the Mark of Mastery exam all over again!" Asuna exclaimed, and she and Kirito joined Sora in his dive.

It felt like they were a mile above the Tornado Titan, while it turned its' attention to the three diving at him. It them started gathering power from its' fallen brethren, and not only fire rubble at the trio, but fireball and ice balls, as well. Sora, Asuna and Kirito all evaded in the air, avoiding getting impacted by anything the Titan threw at them.

"I've had enough of you!" Kirito declared as he, Sora and Asuna lined up together, and shot at the head of the Titan with their Keyblades, striking it three times with heavy impacts, thanks to their diving speed.

The Titan pushed them away with its' winds, gathering rubble in the air as the trio remained afloat in the air, thanks to the winds the Titan developed. "Where're the others?!" Asuna questioned, looking about.

"They must've got sent further away, or sent higher up!" Kirito answered.

"They'll be back!" Sora answered, turning his attention to the Titan, "We just gotta wallop this wind harder in replace for them!"

The trio flew at the Titan as it produced funneled arms, and sent rubble out of it like arm cannon shots. The three of them had experience with flying, though this was more them being carried about by the wind. They evaded as best as they could, or as they did before, they blocked the attacks.

"Asuna, can you provide us with some long range magic?" Kirito asked as the trio flew about at a different angle to attack the Titan.

"Sorry, but I don't have any power at the moment to unleash it." She replied, "It'll take a while for my magic energy to recharge again!"

"The Kirito and I can give you magic support, and you go in with your speed!" Sora told her, readying his Keyblade to cast magic.

Asuna looked to Kirito. In most cases, Kirito was not the one who provided magic support while Asuna took the front lines. However, Kirito looked to her, realizing what she was thinking, and answered, "Worth a shot to try a reverse our roles. Go for it!" His girlfriend looked surprised for a second, then gave a determinate nod in understanding.

She dashed forward as the Tornado Titan unleashed more rubble at the opponents. Asuna used her speed to evade the attack while closing in. Sora and Kirito unleashed Fire spells like crazy, blasting away the rubble, and clearing the road for Asuna. She got in close, and unleashed several rapid stabs with her Keyblade, before unleashing one final slash that made the Titan rear in pain.

"Yes!" Sora delivered a fist pump, while Kirito kept a sharp eye on what the Titan planned to do next.

Asuna was about to strike it again when the Titan suddenly dove underneath the clouds it made, making her next strike miss. She looked about to see where it might pop up, as did the two boys. Sure enough, it appeared, but it came up from the gaping mouth of the Lava Titan.

"Why did it come from there?!" Sora questioned, looking to see the glaring eyes of the Titan.

Kirito looked down at the tail of the Titan, and saw it seemingly channel the magma from its' fallen brethren. "Asuna, look out! I think it might be using the other Titan's power!" He shouted.

Asuna looked to Kirito, then down at the Titan as its body slightly glowed the same color as the lava it was absorbing. It then pointed its' funnel hands upward, and it spewed fireballs upwards, which arched and came raining down on Asuna, who wasn't able to get away in time. She got hit numerous times, causing her to cry out in pain, her body struck with burns.

"Asuna!" Sora and Kirito shouted, seeing the damage she took. They saw the Titan fire another volley, about to hit Asuna again. Kirito reacted quickly, flying towards her as fast as he could. Sora quickly came up with a plan, and came up with a solution. He focused towards one of the floating pieces of rubble behind Asuna, and his feet glowed. He unleashed an Airstep technique, flying much faster than Kirito, catching Asuna, and pulling her out of the way as the fireballs came raining down on her former position. He reached the rubble, making sure Asuna was okay. Kirito backed off as the fireballs were falling near where he was going, and looked relieved to see Sora had saved his girlfriend, though he did kinda feel guilty he wasn't the one to do the task.

"You okay, Asuna?" Sora asked.

Asuna winced a bit at her burns, but answered, "Yeah, I'll be okay..." She then saw the Titan unleash more fireballs, coming down towards where the two were at, and shouted, "Heads up!" The two dashed through the air, barely avoiding the fireballs raining towards them.

The Titan then dove beneath the clouds again, causing Kirito to look and demand, "Now what?!" He looked about, then saw the Tornado Titan rise again, this time from the Ice Titan's mouth. After seeing what it did with the Lava Titan, he figured out what its' next plan of attack was. The question was, how it would attack.

Asuna and Sora raced towards the Titan as it used its' fallen brethren's powers, and magically summoned icicles in front of it that started shooting directly at the trio's positions. "Move!" Asuna shouted, and the trio scattered about, avoiding the shots that seem to come from every angle. Sora got scraped a couple times by the icicles, while Asuna was evading the attacks and countering with her Blizzard spell, now that her magic energy was fully charged once more. Kirito, meanwhile, was deflecting the icicles easily with his Keyblade, using his bullet and magic-deflecting skills from the virtual world.

I've had enough of this..." Kirito growled, pointing his Keyblade at the Titan, tapping into the energy he gained from firing the Fire spells before, and performing a Grand Magic spell, Fira. He unleashed the fireball as it homed in on the Titan, and it exploded in its' face, ceasing its' attack. The fact that it was powering from the Ice Titan must've caused it to be dealt more damage from the Fira spell.

It dove down into the clouds once more, causing the rubble around the area to spin more rapidly, and it rose up in the center of the storm once more. All three heroes, at this point, were floating from different angles.

"I can tell it doesn't have a lot of stamina left..." Sora noticed, "Better hit it hard and hit it fast!" He unleashed his own Grand Magic Fira spell, causing it to strike from the side, doing a lot of damage. It turned to Sora, ready to attack him. It aimed its' arms at Sora, ready to unleash a volley of rubble.

"No you don't!" Kirito shouted, pointing his Keyblade at the Titan, and attempting to perform a Shotlock. Sure enough, he suddenly felt the power building up, as he took aim at the Titan. " **Shotlock: Sonic Slash!** " He shouted, and he tossed his Keyblade towards the Titan, shooting right after it, and performing a Sonic Leap Sword Skill that he brought down onto the Titan. What followed was twelve more slashes that were so fast, no one saw him even make the slashes. The Titan reeled in pain, the damage causing it to be at death's door.

"Asuna!" "Finish it off!" Kirito and Sora shouted respectively to the third Keyblade wielder.

"I'm on it!" She answered, flying at the Titan as fast as she could, giving out a battlecry that drew its' attention. It was unable to get an attack in on her before she shot like a bullet, piercing right through the Titan's body, before arriving on the other side, whipping her Keyblade to one side. The Titan seemed to flail around in pain, before bowing its' head in defeat, unable to hold up the storm about them.

"Sora!" "Papa!" Kirito and Sora heard some familiar voices, and saw Donald and Yui, along with Hercules and Goofy, finally arriving on the scene, practically swimming in the air.

"You made it!" Sora gleefully stated.

"A little too late to the party, but still..." Kirito muttered, looking to see the Titan they had just defeated.

"We got carried away by the winds much higher and further than the rest of you guys." Hercules explained, "Sorry we could help you out in this case."

"It's no biggie." Sora answered, "At least you arrived!"

Just then, the cylinder of clouds that surrounded them suddenly dissipated, along with the cloudy floor below. The winds were dying down, causing the heroes to start falling to the floor. While most of them landed safely on their feet, Goofy practically did a bellyflop onto the ground, his body pancaked from the impact. Asuna was just flying her way back when she started falling, but she did a front roll when she hit the ground, and landed on her feet, joining the others.

"Well, that takes care of that!" Asuna stated as she stopped in front of them, smiling at their supposed victory.

"Don't get cocky, you little brats!" the team had nearly forgotten that Hades was actually on the scene, too. He was standing in the same place he was before, his fists curled in malice as he glared at them.

"Hey, we took out your Titans." Kirito pointed out, "Just give up, would ya?"

"Heh. If you think that's the extent of my Titans, then you're dead wrong!" Hades huffed, "There's a reason Zeus locked them up away in the first place!"

Suddenly, the seven heroes heard the sounds of the Titans rising behind them, and turned to see the trio they had just defeated get back up, glaring down at them.

"Oh, come on!" Donald exclaimed.

"They still have the energy to keep fighting?!" Kirito questioned in exasperation.

"And we put so much energy in taking them out!" Yui added.

Just then, the team felt the ground rumble at their feet, and something erupted from the clouds near them. It turned out to be the Rock Titan they recently defeated. "It's back!" Asuna cried out.

"Uh, oh. Now it's all four of them!" Goofy whined.

"So what? There are seven of us. We got them outnumbered." Sora pointed out, the only one keeping a positive attitude in the situation they were in.

"Actually..." Hercules started, drawing their attention, "...I think I can make it eight." The team watched as he leapt towards the pillar of cooled magma and ice, reaching the top, and started to pry open the top. In a few seconds, he managed to succeed, freeing Zeus from his prison.

"Noooo!" Hades cried out in shock. Pain and Panic, meanwhile, were pinned down by the tail thanks to Pegasus with his hind hooves, and battered about with his front hooves.

"Thank you, my boy." Zeus thanked his son, while the remaining heroes down below cheered at his freedom. One of the gods Herc freed before returned to the scene, with four literal lightning bolts in his hands. He tossed them up to Zeus, who caught two in each hands. "Hah! Now, watch your old man work!" The king of the gods declared.

The Rock Titan looked worried as Zeus unleashed an underhand throw, striking the Rock Titan in both heads, blasting them both off in one shot. The fact that Zeus was at his strongest now frightened the Titans, and caused them to turn and move away as fast as possible.

"Guys, get your titanic rears in gear, and kick some Olympian-!" As Hades spoke, a gust of wind from Yui's tessen died out the flames on his head. Hades stopped and asked, "Woah, is my hair out?"

"Just felt nostalgic..." Yui innocently stated with a grin, running back to her parents.

"Nice one, Yui!" "You devious, little daughter of ours." Sora and Asuna said, respectively, while Yui gained a high-five from her dad and Donald.

Hercules bounded off the pillar, and saw the Tornado Titan the last in line of its' brethren as it tried crawling away. He came up with a plan, and grabbed the bottom tail of the Titan, and twirled it about. The Tornado Titan's body ended up being aimed at the other three Titans, and they ended up getting sucked up together inside its' body. Then with one mighty heave, Hercules tossed the Titans up into orbit. The mixture of the four Titans resulted in an explosive effect, as from far off, the heroes and gods could see and hear the explosion, ending the lives of all four Titans.

Hercules and Zeus high-fived one another, while the six heroes celebrated at their victory they gained. Hades, on the other hand, looked furious, reigniting the hair on his head.

"I can't believe it!" He exclaimed, glaring at the six heroes "I put eighteen years into that plan, and you've blippin' ruined it! I REALLY don't like you!"

"Just give it up already!" Sora sassed, "You'll never beat Herc, no matter how many times you try."

"Those eighteen years were just wasted. All for nothing!" Kirito pointed out.

"You should give it up before you stress yourself to death." Asuna punned.

"Yeah, stay in the Underworld where ya belong." Goofy told him.

"Go have the time of your afterlife." Donald joked.

"Enough already!" Hades roared, tired of the bad jokes and being put down, "I did not come this far to be ridiculed by Zeusy high and mighty, his little sunspot, and a six-pack of clowns!" He turned red with fury as he finished, "You know what? I'll just go ahead and destroy you!" The six readied their weapons, prepared to fight Hades once more.

"Hades!" Herc's voice suddenly made Hades realized who else he had to deal with. He slowly turned, and saw Zeus and his son standing right behind him. Hercules waved his hands to the gate as he pointed out, "The exit is that way."

Hades looked to the two gods, then to the six heroes, then his flames went to blue again as he just gave up, muttering words like 'Oy vey' and 'Jeez Louise', as he slunk away.

"Hold on. I almost forgot." Hercules called out, causing the lord of the Underworld to turn to him, only to get a fist in the face, and making him hit the ground hard and heavy. "That one's for trying to wreck Thebes." Herc told him.

Hades held the part of his face Hercules punched him, angrily looking at the guy as smoke swirled around him. There were two knocks to his back, which told him Pain and Panic got sent flying by Pegasus. "You'll pay for this! I have a very, VERY long memory!" He roared at them, "I can still dunk your little Nut-Meg in a river of de-!" Before he could finish his sentence, Zeus tossed another thunderbolt at him as he was consumed in smoke. The rest was silence, as the smoke vanished. Hades and his minions were gone from Olympus.

Zeus turned to the heroes as he said, "Thank you for helping my son get rid of Hades and his Titans. You did a great amount of help to Olympus." Sora rubbed the back of his head as he was glad to get a compliment from Herc's dad.

"Eh, Hades had it coming to him anyway." Kirito pointed out.

"Although..." Asuna stopped him, getting the attention of the others, "It seems like Xigbar, Maleficent and Pete weren't involved in this quarrel at all."

"That's right." Goofy recalled, "We came up here mainly because we thought the Organization was gonna try and do somethin'."

"Guess we were wrong." Donald summed up.

"Still, we did managed to take care of Hades, and the Heartless that were invading the area up here." Yui added, "So I'd say us coming here wasn't a mistake."

"Agreed." Kirito seconded, looking at Zeus and Herc, who were talking to one another like a proud father would talk to their son, "Plus, we got to save the king of the gods. I'd say this was worth the trouble." The others smiled in agreement. They did feel proud of what they accomplished.

* * *

Moments later, Hercules said goodbye to his father, and the team raced their way back to the front gates to Olympus. When they arrived, Sora asked the question that was on his mind ever since they left. As he looked to see Herc stop and look back at Olympus again, Sora asked, "Are you sure you want to leave all this behind?"

"Isn't Olympus your home?" Goofy asked.

"And what about your papa?" Yui added.

Herc paused for a second, then answered, "I can see my family anytime I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most... And that life would be empty." He looked down the steps, and everyone turned and saw who he was talking about. Meg was standing at the bottom of the steps, smiling as she looked up at her 'Wonderboy'. "I finally know where I belong." Herc finished.

The team watched as he raced down the steps to his loved one, and embraced her in a gentle hug. He and Meg were glad to have one another in their lives. Kirito and Asuna looked to one another, smiling in a loving matter. They held their hands as they followed the others down the steps towards Herc and Meg. Just like those two, Kirito and Asuna's lives would be empty if they didn't have one another in them.

Kirito's other hand slightly pat his pants pocket, where he felt something. It was the parting gift his aunt gave him before he set out on this new journey. Something he knew he wanted to do, but was not ready to show it. At least, not until they stopped Organization XVI.

As Sora and the others reached the others reached the bottom of the steps, Herc realized something, and said, "Sora, we never got back to your question. Can I help?"

Sora shook his head as he replied, "It's okay. I think I'm want to figure it out for myself. I'll find my strength the way you found yours. Something to fight for...with all my heart. I guess you did have the answer." His comrades looked to him, finding his answer more mature than the person who said it. They were proud of him.

"Well, you've got heart, Sora." Herc pointed out, "Just keep at it and I know you'll be stronger than ever."

"Yeah. I might even end up stronger than YOU are!" Sora boasted, taking a muscular pose.

"There he goes again." Donald sighed.

"Well, so much for that maturity he was showing..." Asuna muttered. This was followed by the team laughing at and with Sora. His child-like heart may not change as much, but it is still in the right place.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the garden of Thebes, Maleficent watched as Pete was using his bare hands to dig in the ground, looking for the thing that Hades told them.

"Are you sure this box with the Book of Prophecies is for reals?" Pete grunted as he dug, "I think that dingbat in black was pulling your leg."

"Be quiet and dig, you imbecile." Maleficent retorted, "I must find that Book of Prophecies and make it my own. His was the only clue we have. We cannot afford to dismiss it without a thorough investigation."

"I'm just sayin', a shot in the dark ain't gonna get us any closer to-." Pete suddenly stopped talking, as his fingers scratched something that was clearly not dirt. He looked down, and gasped at what he discovered.

"What is it? have you found something?" Maleficent asked with haste, "Show it to me at once, fool."

Pete pried out what he found; a purple chest with a skull-like mark on the front of it. "Yes sir-eesy, this has gotta be that Pandora's Box Hades mentioned."

Maleficent examined the box closely, then looked to one side as she said, in a frustrated tone, "Leave it."

"What? After all that diggin'?" Pete whined.

"That is not the box which I desire." Maleficent stated, "We are finished with this world. Come."

She was about to walk away when she heard the sound of something metal sinking into the rock pathway near them. They looked to see the same girl that was observing the six heroes from afar, and also the same one who caused the building to fall on Herc, too. She was leaning on her claymore, looking at the pair with a lazy expression.

"Honestly, you spent all this time trying to get your wish fulfilled, and you end up wasting it all?" She asked the pair, straightening herself up and grabbing her weapon in one hand, pulling it out of the ground, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were not following the orders my daddy instructed to you."

Pete looked nervously at Maleficent, who narrowed her eyes at her as she stated, "Need I remind you that we only agreed to helping him on the condition that he would help us find what we desire!"

"And need I remind YOU that if it wasn't for papa, you would still be stuck in that void before. The one that 'Oberon' person or whatever put you in?" The young lady approached Maleficent without fear, her face mere feet away from the evil witch, who looked stone faced at being talked down to. "As far as I'm concerned, you owe him your lives!" The girl stated, "Meaning his research and his missions are top priority. Not your own!"

She wandered around Maleficent and saw the box Pete held. "Gimme that!" She told Pete, snatching the box from his hands, and examining it, almost like she was scanning for its' interior. "Hmm... Quite a bit of chaos and darkness within this small thing..." she noticed, "It should be sufficed enough to please daddy, I guess. Guess your search WASN'T a waste of time after all."

"And what about you?" Maleficent demanded, "I assume you had results, as well?"

"Y-Yeah. It would be a shame if we found somethin' useful for your dad, as yous didn't." Pete added, trying to put on a brave face.

"Don't you worry about me..." the girl scoffed, magically removing her claymore into darkness, and pulling out an orb of dark energy, with data sparking about it. "I found enough darkness thanks to the fear the Heartless placed on the city, and the power-hungry greed of that 'Hades' character. I honestly am surprised at how efficient that guy was to give us so much darkness."

She made the darkness vanish in the palm of her hand as she finished, "But it is as you said, witch. Our time in this world is over. Let's bring this stuff back to daddy." She wandered past Maleficent, summoning a Corridor of Darkness, and entering through it.

With her gone, Pete rose out of the hole, growling, "Oooh, why do we have to follow that busty, bossy girl like she owns us?! We's otta get more respect than that, right?"

"As much as I hate her, they are beneficial in helping us search for the black box." Maleficent scoffed, "Once we have that in our grasp, we can do whatever we want to them, afterwards. Besides..." She looked to the Corridor of Darkness as she finished, "Her father's research on darkness might also benefit us in greater ways we could not reach before." She wandered into the Corridor, with Pete slinking behind her, closing the portal behind them.

Up above, there was another ongoing watcher who looked at the scene below. It was Xigbar, looking down at what had transpired with a calm expression. "May your hear—."

What he had said would be the focal point of the heroes, the villains, and the journey that was about to take place.

* * *

 **Next Time on SAKIII:**

 **Twilight Town! Reunions, Old & New!**


	4. Twilight Town! Reunions, Old & New!

**Just to let you know, if you hadn't done so, you might wanna look at the following Sword Art Kingdom: Final Mix chapters before reading this:**

 **"There & Back! Saitama Keyblade Wielders!"**

 **"Kayaba's Diary! A Coded Heart!"**

 **"Sleeping Knight 'Yuuki' Awakens!"**

 **There are some parts of this chapter that will not make sense if you had not read these chapters yet. So do so before reading this. Otherwise, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Mysterious Tower**

"I see... You could not regain your strength."

Those were the first words Yen Sid said to the six heroes. They had just returned back to him after their excursion in Olympus, and informed him of what they had went through there. However, they ended by saying that although they tried, Sora did not have his power returned to normal.

"Aw, no biggie. I still learned a lot." Sora pointed out.

"I think you're missing the point, Sora..." Asuna retorted, "Our goal was for you to regain the power of waking. It's necessary to regain for the final fight." Sora looked at her, then realized she was right.

"It can't be gone forever." Goofy stated, "Maybe somethin'll trigger it real soon."

"Like what exactly?" Sora questioned.

"I know! How 'bout a bonk to the head?" Donald suggested, getting an angry look from Sora.

"Maybe a sudden event that comes across our path'll help Sora regain that power?" Kirito assumed.

"Kirito, it's not the virtual world." Asuna sighed, "You sound like triggering Sora's power is like an event quest."

"It was just hopeful thoughts..." the black swordsman muttered.

"Perhaps it could be something that is as simple as that." Yen Sid noted, getting surprised looks from the group.

"You think so, too?!" Kirito questioned.

"Whenever you are in need, Sora, magic happens." Yen Sid pointed out, "That is your greatest strength. I can say the same for the two of you, as well." He looked to Kirito and Asuna, who looked to one another. They couldn't deny what he said. After all, there have been many moments in their lives, especially when around Sora, that miracles seem to produce themselves for them when it was necessary.

"You make it sound like an accident." Sora moaned, finding Yen Sid's words disparaging.

"Don't take it personally." Asuna told him, patting his shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door behind them, and they all looked around. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "We're back, Master!" Suddenly, the door opened, and in came in two people they knew well; King Mickey, and Sora's best friend, Riku. The only difference between between when they saw them last, and now, was that they new garments.

King Mickey's garments were slightly different from his last, but he sported a black open-zipper jacket with plaid-patterns on the bottom, a black shirt underneath, red pants with the same pattern on the bottom of each pants-leg, a black belt with a silver buckle, and yellow and grey shoes with gray laces and black soles.

Riku's hair looked like it went through a haircut, shorter than before. Apart from that, he wore a black, hooded jacket that he keeps unzipped, with short sleeves, gold buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem, and a white, V-neck shirt underneath. He also wears blue cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket, black glovelettes on each hand, and black high-top boots.

"Hey!" Yui greeted them, while the others looked happy at the sight of two familiar friends.

"Oh, wow! You guys are all here!" Mickey noticed, seeing the six heroes.

"We were here before, but you didn't wait for us!" Sora noted.

"Not everyone follows to your clock, Sora." Kirito retorted.

"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy raced up to Mickey, knocking over Sora and Kirito in their excitement. Asuna and Yui winced at the sight of the two boys being pushed over.

"Hey there, fellas." Mickey greeted his two buddies, "So, what've you six been up to?"

Sora got back up, and tried to get between Donald and Goofy to explain, "We were vis-." He was cut off by Donald shoving him back to the ground behind them again, as he started to explain, "We went to Olympus to visit Hercules!"

"And to figure out how to get all of Sora's lost powers back." Goofy finished.

"But unfortunately, we weren't able to accomplish that goal." Yui sighed as Kirito and Asuna helped Sora to his feet again.

"Oh... what a shame." Mickey replied, "But, honestly..."

"...we didn't fare any better." Riku followed up.

"Did you manage to find any clues to where my sister is?" Asuna asked, walking up to the two, "Yen Sid did say that you guys were looking for Aqua and Recon in the Realm of Darkness. Please, tell me you at least found a clue to her whereabouts." Her voice expressed her anxiousness on seeing her sister once again. It was on her mind quite a bit. Unfortunately, based on the sad expressions between Riku and Mickey, they gave signs that they did find clues, but unfortunately, it was not the best news. Asuna looked sadly down, worried for Aqua and Recon, as was everyone else.

"Come on! Can I finally say something?" Sora argued angrily, feeling like he was being pushed away by his comrades before he could speak his mind.

"We know Master Aqua made it as far as the beach that Sora, Kirito, Asuna and I once visited." Riku informed, looking to Asuna, "It was the same one you said you saw Aqua last when your Wayfinder took you to her, right?" Asuna nodded in response to this, looking down at the said white Wayfinder, and grasping it with her fingers.

"Unfortunately, that's where her trail ended." Riku continued, "What's more, we discovered that Recon seemed to have made contact with her, and might've followed her to where she vanished to."

This bit of news surprised the group as Kirito asked, "So Recon is with Aqua? You positive about that?" Riku nodded in confirmation.

"But all traces of both of them vanished into the great abyss...beneath the Realm of Darkness." Mickey explained.

"They're gone?" Donald asked sadly.

"No. Sora and Leafa were dragged into the abyss during their exams. And Kirito, Asuna and I went after them." Riku reminded them, "So, I think if we find someone who was really close to Aqua, and they make the dive, they could reach her down there."

"Then what about me?" Asuna asked, "I'm Aqua's sister, and she has a piece of my soul within her. I left that behind before we parted. I know I can reach her." The team looked to her, maybe seeing some merits in her chance to rescue Aqua.

"Unfortunately, that's far too risky." said another familiar voice. The team turned around to Yen Sid, and saw the glowing crystal ball shining, revealing a holographic image of Mistress Gretinal, having just appeared moments ago.

"What do you mean?" Asuna demanded, "Why can't I go dive in to save her?!"

"While you and Kirito had gone down to rescue Leafa in the abyss, you had stronger contact to her, and were more connected to her." Gretinal explained, "Unfortunately, while you are connected by blood and soul, we have no way of knowing if that is truly strong enough to go rescue her, especially when you don't have any lasting memories of your time together. Not to mention you were much stronger when you did make the previous dive. Plus, we cannot be sure WHERE in the abyss Aqua is at." Asuna wanted to argue, but really didn't have any good counterargument. As of right now, they lacked information, and she lacked the strength like she did before.

"But, if not mama, then who else?" Yui asked.

"What about Ventus? Or Terra?" Kirito suggested.

Mickey shook his head sadly, then said, "Ventus is hidden...and Aqua's the only one who knows where. Plus, nobody's seen Terra in ages. Aqua was the last."

"So Aqua...she's gonna be the key to find all three..." Riku summed up, "And as for Recon, Leafa would've been the best bet to rescuing him."

"Unfortunately, she is like Sora, and did not make it far in her exam." Gretinal noted, "Hence, she lost the power of awakening, and most of her strength. She is currently training with Kairi and Lea...I mean Axel, in improving herself and her power of bonding."

"Yes. Their teacher, Master Eraqus, could been another possibility to save Aqua, had Master Xehanort not mercilessly struck him down." Yen Sid added, closing his eyes in disappointment.

"No..." Asuna spoke up, and she drew the attention of everyone in the room, "...I'm gonna be the one to save Aqua. If she's the key to finding Terra and Ventus, then someone needs to save her, first."

"But, I already told you—." Gretinal started again.

"I'm gonna get stronger." Asuna stopped her, giving a determined glare, "Sora, Kirito and I...all of us...we're gonna get stronger. I may not have many memories of my sister and I together, but I want to make some. And I will make sure that I improve my self, both in body, heart, and soul so that when the time is right, I'll go to the Realm of Darkness, and save my sister, and Recon. I swear it."

Everyone looked at her, hearing the determination in her words. It was something that made them believe she had the potential to save her sister. It was something that also made Kirito proud of his girlfriend, and wanted to support her in her goal.

Meanwhile, Sora had his eyes closed, feeling his heart. There was something, or someone, inside of him, that wanted to speak their mind. Someone who wanted to save a person close to him. The voice of someone close to Aqua suddenly bursted from Sora's mouth as he determinately declared, "I'll save Aqua AND Recon. I'll save them both!"

The team looked to him in surprise at the sudden declaration. "You can't!" Donald retorted.

"But Sora, that's gonna be super hard since you don't have the power of waking." Goofy nodded.

"Not to mention it is like mama said; You're not strong enough to go and save her." Yui added.

Sora's determined face suddenly became a bit surprised as he looked to the group. "Sorry... I have no idea why that just popped out." Kirito and Asuna looked to one another, confused for a second, then they smiled and huffed a chuckle. It was just a guess, but it must've been Sora's heart speaking up for itself, wanting to be the kind heart it was.

"Well, it was pretty convincing." Mickey chuckled.

"Yeah. Better not let us down." Riku told him and Asuna.

"Hey, don't leave me out of this!" Kirito butted in, "I want to save Aqua and Recon, too. Plus, I gotta return Terra's soul back to where it belongs. It's helped us all this time, even awaking Asuna and I's power to the Keyblade. It should only be right for me to return it."

"We get it. No need to make a big argument out of it." Donald retorted.

"You're acting like you want to have an excuse that is important as the rest of ours, Kirito." Asuna chuckled, "Makes you sound really childish."

"Er...did I really sound like that?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Everyone else chuckled at his reaction.

Yen Sid and Gretinal watched the group silently, then Gretinal smiled as she stated, "Those children will be alright. I believe they are capable of delivering more than we can imagine."

"Very true." Yen Sid agreed, getting the attention of the group of heroes, "But Sora will need to focus on regaining the lost power of waking. And Kirito and Asuna are more than capable of helping Sora achieve this, while they improve themselves to go and save Aqua and Recon." Kirito and Asuna stood on either side of Sora, with Kirito nudging Sora with his shoulder, as if to say 'we got your back'.

"Fortunately, I have just the thing to help them improve the three of you, as well as Donald, Goofy and Yui, in the endeavors ahead." Gretinal told them, "Unfortunately, I still need to do a bit of investigating before I tell you what it is."

"Mickey and Riku, I recall that Master Aqua journeyed to many worlds, and connected with others who could be the link we need." Yen Sid informed the pair.

"Good plan, sir." Mickey agreed, "Riku and I will retrace her steps and see if we can find any sort of clues, but first..." he and Riku stepped towards Yen Sid as he continued, "We got hit pretty hard in the Realm of Darkness. My Keyblade is damaged, and the Heartless broke Riku's clean in half."

"I didn't think that was possible!" Asuna realized, looking to Riku, who shrugged the matter off.

"So, we're gonna need to get replacements before we can continue." Mickey finished.

"In that case, rendezvous with Kairi, Leafa and Lea." Yen Sid told the pair, "They are continuing their training under the tutelage of the wizard Merlin."

"Along with my three assistants, Dreamcast, Saturn, and Drive." Gretinal added.

"Yes, sir and ma'am." Mickey responded, bowing to the pair.

"Also, I would like you to deliver these for me." Yen Sid told them, waving a hand forward, revealing two suitcases.

"Are they..." Mickey realized.

"Yes, they are the same as the ones I gave you." Yen Sid responded, "Special vestments to shield Kairi and Lea from the darkness."

"I gave them the Gretinal approval of fashion." the Keyblade Mistress said with a thumbs up, "I also gave Leafa her own set of special attire to wear."

"We got 'em." Mickey understood, with he and Riku taking each suitcase in their hands.

Sora looked longingly at the suitcases as he whined, "What? No fair! What about my outfit, Master?!"

"Sora, don't bug him like that." Donald scolded him, "It's inconsiderate!"

"Besides, I rather like your old look." Kirito admitted.

"You only say that because it's mostly black." Asuna retorted, causing Kirito to feign ignorance.

"Settle down." Yen Sid told them, "I have new clothes for you, too, Sora. A gift from the good fairies." He waved a hand forward, summoning a new suitcase, containing Sora's new garments.

 _(Insert 'Sora's Theme 2.5 ver.')_

The young boy looked excitedly as he cheered, "I knew you'd come through for me. Thanks!" He raced up to grab his suitcase, while Donald, thinking he might get new garments, looked down in disgruntlement.

"Great for you, Sora!" Yui congratulated him, as he carried the suitcase in both hands.

"Those are no ordinary garments, Sora." Yen Sid informed him, "Like before, they have very special powers, so it took extra time to prepare them."

"Right. I'm sure you noticed, but Sora is able to wield different kinds of powers, compared to Kirito and Asuna. Sora, you have the power of performing techniques through 'Attractions', as well as tap into Keyblades to allow them to transform. Whereas Kirito and Asuna, as well as Yui, are able to utilize the power of Soul Burst, which gives them the power of Soul Pacts merged with them to utilize all forms of weapons, techniques, and powers. Those powers each wield can merge together to unleash infinite possibilities." Sora looked to Kirito and Asuna, all of them showing signs of them ready to discover all the powers they could unleash against their opponents.

"In addition, there is a gift from Chip, Dale and Kayaba with your garments." Yen Sid told them.

"Cool... Okay!" Sora answered, shouldering his suitcase like it was his Keyblade.

"Happy now?" Riku asked him, who responded with a 'yep'.

"Now, you are all ready to proceed." Yen Sid told the group, the rest of the team joining Sora, Riku and Mickey's side.

"Hey, wait! Don't forget about me!" shouted a small voice that was awfully familiar to Sora's team. It was Jiminy Cricket, hopping onto Yen Sid's desk and racing towards his friends.

"Jiminy!" the six heroes greeted him with joy.

"Every journey worth goin' on needs a cricket to keep track of it." Jiminy told the group, "And I can't let ya start this one without ol' Jiminy Cricket by your side."

"The whole team's back!" Goofy declared.

"With the seven of us together, nothing can stop us!" Yui cheered.

"Yeah!" Sora, Donald, Kirito and Asuna all responded one at a time.

"Good." Yen Sid spoke up, "Now, to mark the beginning of a new journey, I wish for you to have this, Sora." With a wave of his hand, he produced something in Sora's free hand. It looked like a shield-shaped charm of sorts, with a silver rim and a magenta face, along with a familiar symbol on the face.

 _(Insert 'Dearly Beloved KHIII ver.')_

"Okay?" Sora muttered, kinda confused.

"Wait..." Asuna examined the emblem, "Isn't that the Dream Eater Spirit emblem?"

"You're right!" Kirito realized, looking at it.

"That is a Heartbinder." Yen Sid explained, "Think of it as a good luck charm made just for you. You have a gift, Sora, for connecting with others, and this makes that gift stronger." Sora nodded in understanding, pocketing the charm.

"It's time to go!" Mickey told the others. The nine of them stood together, in a line in front of Yen Sid's table, and at attention. They bowed to the two Masters, though Sora, Asuna, Kirito, Donald, Goofy and Yui all listened closely to the two Masters, for something that they'd hope to hear them whisper. Sure enough, and as one, the two said the words. "May your heart be your guiding key."

"See?" Goofy whispered to the others.

"Mistress Gretinal said it, too!" Yui added in a hush voice. The others couldn't believe they never heard either one of them say it. However, Goofy did have better hearing than the others.

* * *

 _(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)_

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

Moments later, the six heroes, now adding in Jiminy Cricket into their ranks, were back on the Swiftline, and flying through space aimlessly. Sora was just getting dressed into his new garments, using the sleeping quarters setting in the magically-transforming room, which Gretinal called the 'Switch Chamber'. The others waited until he finally came out of the room, wearing his new garments gifted to him.

They were sleeker than his previous attire, consisting of a black and red-lining hoodie jacket with grey pockets, six golden buttons, and grey stripes on the sleeves, a black V-neck shirt with white lining underneath. His shorts were similar to his old look, only less baggy, with armor sidings held by red straps. His shoes were also like his old ones, with blue straps and no zippers. He no longer wore gloves, but gauntlets, which had a similar look to his jacket, and they exposed the palm of his hands. And as usual, he wore his crown necklace on him.

"Well, what did you guys think?" Sora asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Looks great!" Goofy answered.

"Red and black, huh? That does work for you." Asuna stated, looking to Kirito, "I'm sure you're satisfied with his new look."

"Why am I being singled out?!" Kirito questioned her, "I only said that Sora's old look was a great look. And I'll admit this new look is even cooler."

"Thanks!" Sora thanked them, looking at his new look, "It's definitely a cooler look than what I had before. And it feels just as comfortable to move around in. Can't wait to bust this out in a battle."

"Maybe we can use the training room feature in the Switch Chamber?" Kirito suggested, "I wouldn't mind sparring with you. Plus, I wanna test out our new powers."

"Yeah. Along with my new Keyblade!" Sora added, producing a new Keyblade he got from Hercules. It was called 'Hero's Origin'. The blade consists of a series of thunderbolts topped by Zeus, who's arm and thunderbolt formed the teeth. The handle consists of the clouds and columns of Olympu, topped with the symbol of the gods. On the end of a thick black chain was the medallion, the Olympus Stone, which they remembered from their first adventure together to that world.

"I wanna know what kind of thing I can unlock from this new Keyblade." Sora stated, looking at his new weapon, "Wanna test it out, Kirito?"

"That sounds—!" Kirito began, but Asuna cut him off by declaring, "FIRST, we need to actually have a path to go, and I would appreciate it if you guys had any thoughts on where we might go next."

The two boys realized that might be a good idea for them, so they paused to think about it. Unfortunately, they didn't have any clue. "Oh, come on! Would you get serious?!" Donald demanded to them.

"Give me a break!" Sora rebutted, "I told you. These things take time!"

"We're repeating the same thing as last time, aren't we?" Kirito noticed, getting a sense of deja vu.

"Gawrsh, is it just me, or is this starting to be a routine?" Goofy asked.

"A bad one, no doubt." Yui followed, as Asuna sighed and wondered what their next plan of action was.

Suddenly, there was music playing, like a ringtone to a phone (a ringtone version of Sora's Theme). It seemed to be emanating from Sora himself, who was confused as to what it was.

"It's comin' from you, Sora!" Jiminy pointed out. Sora looked into his pockets, and pulled something out. It looked like a sort of small tablet, with a thick black, red and gold rim around it, with Mickey's emblem on the bottom part, and on the upper back part of it, there was a gold crown design. On the screen of the tablet was a picture of a phone ringing, with a green and red button on the bottom corners.

"What's this?" Sora asked, confused.

"Obviously, you never had a smartphone before, have you?" Kirito asked.

"Smartphone?" Sora echoed, confused.

"You use it like this." Kirito told him, walking over, and pressing the green button, answering the call. The screen shifted, and they could see one of their chipmunk mechanics, standing on the desk in Mickey's study room back in Disney Castle

"Hooray! He picked up." The chipmunk cheered.

"Huh? Dale?!" Sora asked, surprised.

"Hey, Chipper, I finally got him!" Dale called out to one side, "Hurry up, Chip!"

A second later, Chip skidded to a halt in front of the screen. "Well! It's about time."

"Chip?" Sora asked, surprised to see him as well.

"Ya gotta answer the phone, Sora, or we can't give ya updates." Dale told him, "We got lots and LOTS of important stuff we want to tell ya!"

"That's why we asked Master Yen Sid to make sure you got this Gummiphone Kayaba made for ya." Chip followed up.

"So Kayaba made this?" Kirito asked, "Well, I guess it's child's play compared to the Nerve Gear to build a smartphone. So we'd be able to stay in touch with you at all times."

"Not necessarily." said a familiar voice, and the Gummiphone on the other end started to shift around, and suddenly, Kayaba's face appeared. He was the same adult face as they remembered him, wearing a red and white-trimmed lab coat, and a medallion pinned on the left part of his chest, with Mickey's emblem on it.

"It was a lot more complicated than you think, especially with the trans-dimensional communication. Trying to create a strong an accurate frequency like that was no easy feat. Plus, I had to make sure that there was enough data to have it function like a standard smartphone, such as taking pictures and such. And then there was the constant energy supply I had to create."

"Speak of the devil..." Kirito muttered, "It's good to see your still inventing stuff like this."

"It's good to see you, too, Kirito." Kayaba greeted, as Chip and Dale hopped on each of his shoulders, "As well as you, Asuna." The former second-in-command to him nodded off-screen in response to this greeting.

"Oh! You finally finished it." Jiminy realized, "Say, with this Gummiphone, we can talk to each other across worlds."

"Like Gretinal's crystal ball?" Asuna asked, looking at the spot where the orb appeared the last time.

"Exactly. In fact, I might even try writing my journal on it." Jiminy added.

"Wow! Sounds like it's pretty handy, guys!" Sora understood, "So what's so important?"

"This! Back when you guys quested through the Sleeping Worlds, Riku recovered some secret research data that Ansem the Wise hid inside you, Sora." Chip explained.

"Ansem's Code!" Dale dubbed.

"That's correct." Kayaba followed up, "That is why Chip, Dale and I have been working as hard as we could in trying to sort it out. Unfortunately, I needed some extra help..."

Suddenly, the screen switched to a new person, in a new place. The person on-screen was a young man with blue eyes and short, grayish-blue hair, with long bangs covering the right side of his face. He wore a blue researcher's attire, and a purple neckerchief. Based on the background, he seemed to be in Ansem's hidden computer room in Radiant Garden.

"The data has been encrypted, so we've only deciphered some of it." He followed up Kayaba's information.

The team looked surprised at the sight of the brand new face, as Kirito asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh... I guess we've never met before. Though as for Sora and his friends, I guess we haven't spoken since the castle. Though, even then, I never really showed myself to you then. I'm Ienzo. Aeleus is here, too."

He looked behind him, and saw a muscular man with short, messy hazel hair, which stuck out in the back, and blue eyes. He wore black, soldier-like attire. The man, Aeleus, looked behind him, seeing Sora on the phone screen, and looked away with a sort of guilty look.

"Aeleus, whatever's between you and Roxas, it's in the past." Ienzo told him.

He paused, then said, "...Maybe so, but those memories are still fresh in my mind..." With that, he walked away.

Ienzo sighed, then turned back to the Gummiphone as he continued, "Sora, the reason we're here is because you and your friends defeated our Nobodies, thereby 'recompleting' us. We cast off our hearts by choice, make no mistake, but we didn't know that Xemnas, or rather, Xehanort, was deceiving us."

"Huh? Xemnas?!" Sora gasped, shocked to hear Ienzo knew him.

"That means you were a member of the former Organization XIII!" Yui realized, getting glares from both Donald and Goofy.

"Not anymore. Xemnas and Xehanort have no hold over us now." Ienzo assured them, "We're just students of the heart, exactly the same as we were before all of this began."

"Yeah, right!" Donald scoffed.

"Hold on. He might be right." Asuna retorted, We actually met two of the Organization members back in our world, now as whole people again. Their names were Yasu and Nariko, also known as Myde and Elenar. But when they were Nobodies, they were called 'Demyx' and 'Larxene'. I'm sure you remember one of those names, Sora."

"Oh, yeah!" Sora recalled, remembering Demyx from both Hercules's world, and at Radiant Garden. "He's from your world?!" Sora asked, looking to Kirito, who nodded in answering.

"And now that I think about it, Axel's on our side now." Goofy added. Donald didn't look like he could trust him.

"Don't worry. Ienzo is a really nice person." Said a voice that widened Kirito's eyes in shock. Ienzo's Gummiphone was taken from him, and on the screen was a familiar, dark-haired girl with dark blue eyes. It was Sachi, a close friend to Kirito, and a member of the Moonlit Black Cats. Her attire was a similar researcher's attire like Ienzo, white, with a light blue neckerchief, and a light blue beret with a gold pin and two blue ribbons trailing off to one side.

"S-Sachi!" Kirito gasped, now getting everyone to look over Sora's shoulder at the screen, "How..."

"It's great to see you guys, again." Sachi greeted, "And not greeting you as an Oshawott, if I may add." Before this, the last time they ever met her, she had transformed into a creature called an Oshawott, when her heart had somehow traveled to another world when she slept to save it from destruction.

"But, what are you doing with him?!" Sora asked, incredulously.

"Ienzo gave me a job to be his research assistant." Sachi explained, "In fact, all the members of the Moonlit Black Cats were given jobs here, whether to help out as researchers, or guards to Ansem's castle."

"That's incredible news!" Kirito said with amazement, "I hope it's not too much for you."

"Not at all. It's pretty amazing research to look into." Sachi stated, "Besides, my friends and I were former members of a computer club before we joined SAO. Consider it a step up from where we were before."

Kirito looked at her happy face for a moment, then smiled as he stated, "Well, I'm really glad for you, Sachi. I'm so happy to see you have regained a new way of life for yourself." Sachi smiled sweetly at Kirito's words to her.

"Excuse me, but can I continue speaking to them, Sachi?" Ienzo spoke up.

"Oh, right! Sorry, sir!" Sachi apologized, and handed Ienzo back the phone.

"Please. I told you there was no need for formalities, and just call me 'Ienzo'." The researcher told her, and he turned to Sora and the other others on the phone, "But back to what I was saying. We have friends we want to bring back to this world, just the same as you. To do that, we have to work together. In that spirit, we found some intriguing data in the bit of code we deciphered."

"Is it about me?" Sora asked.

"Yes. In order to piece your memories back together, our teacher, Ansem the Wise, took a close look at your heart. And what he found... is that your heart doesn't belong just to you."

This startling bit of new shocked most of the team as they gasped, "It doesn't?!" Sora was the only one who didn't seem surprised by this.

"Sora, you're not surprised by this?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. Honestly, I suspected as much." Sora admitted, "There's another heart inside mine. I think it's Roxas's. Just like Naminé is still inside Kairi's."

Kirito and Asuna looked to one another. While they never truly met Roxas, they did meet Naminé once before. She was not only the person who brought Leafa and Recon to the other dimension during the first adventure, but was the one who unlocked Leafa's ability to use the Keyblade, and gave them more info on why DiZ, or Ansem the Wise, sent them to that dimension in the first place.

"Interesting... Well, no one knows your heart better than you." Ienzo noted, with Sachi still by his side, "To be honest, we still have a plethora of questions on our side, but the idea has merit. It's incredible enough that you and your Nobody are able to coexist. If you share a heart, no wonder someone as remarkable as you caught Ansem the Wise's eye."

"Honestly, I was quite startled when we first learned about this, Sora." Sachi added, "Then again, there have been numerous things I never even imagined possible until I was shown the research on them here. But I'm willing to try and learn as much as I can, and do everything to investigate your hypothesis."

"Okay. We're counting on you guys." Kirito told her and Ienzo.

"We'll be in touch." Ienzo finished, and the screen flashed back to Kayaba, Chip and Dale.

"And there you have it." Kayaba told the group, "We'll make sure to call you if we need to update you on anything. Do not forget that we, those at Radiant Garden, King Mickey, and everyone else are never far away."

"And Jiminy, would ya do us a favor?" Chip requested, "Teach Sora how to use the Gummiphone."

"Leave it to me." Jiminy answered.

"We'll teach Sora how to use this, too, since were so use to it in our world." Asuna added.

"One more thing." Dale added, "Since we'll be busy with helping Kayaba on cracking the code, we're not sure if we can work full-time on keeping an eye on your Gummi Ship. Fortunately, we ended up discovering a couple of strangers who are able to help us out."

The screen shifted, now showing the Gummi hanger underneath Disney Castle. On screen was a young boy with an odd, triangular face, a pointed nose, spiky orange hair, and large, deep blue eyes. He wore similar clothing attire as the chipmunks, only made for his side.

"Hey, you must Sora." He greeted.

"A kid?" Goofy asked.

"Who're you?" Sora asked him.

"I'm Phineas. The person behind me is my brother, Ferb." He pulled himself to one side to show a kid with a tall, rectangular head, a big nose, and leafy-green hair that altogether made his face look F-shaped. His eyes did seem to look like one eye was bigger than the other. He also wore the same attire as the chipmunks. He was carrying a cart of Gummi Blocks, but paused to wave at the people on the screen.

"Chip, Dale and Kayaba found us after we ended up creating a machine to send us to another dimension." Phineas explained, "We ended up trapped here, and until we can recreate a new transporter, we decided to help out by being repairmen for your ship."

"I see..." Kirito understood, finding it disbelieving they were even able to create a dimensional transporter at their age.

"Well, we're glad to have you guys help us out, when we need it." Yui told them.

"We'll be countin' on ya." Goofy added.

"Thanks. These Gummi Blocks are pretty impressive things." Phineas pointed out, looking back to see Ferb with an emptied cart, "In fact, Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today. Better get on it! I'll keep in touch!" With that, the screen shifted back to Kayaba and the chipmunks.

"Do you think they can handle it?" Donald asked.

"They may not look it, but they have incredible talent for building inventions." Chip stated, "I bet they could make something none of us could imagine!"

"But that's all we have for you, right now." Kayaba told them, "I'm sure the seven of you can figure out where to go from here. Take care." With that, the screen went black.

There was a lot to take in for the team at the moment. Not just the new Gummiphone, but what they learned from Ienzo and Sachi, Kayaba, Chip and Dale, not to mention the new kids who became their repairmen for their Gummi Ship. However, there was one thing that Sora was dead set on at the moment.

"I have to find Roxas and save him." He decided, "The others are following Aqua's heart, so I'll follow Roxas's heart!"

The team nodded in agreement at his choice. Asuna looked down at her Wayfinder, and grabbed ahold of it. ' _Hang on sis.'_ She mentally told her, ' _I'll get stronger, and then I'll come and save you, just like I promised!'_

"Trust the guidance that your heart gives ya, Sora." Goofy told him, 'That's what Master Yen Sid said."

"So do you know our next destination, Sora?" Yui asked, walking down to the control panel with Donald.

"Oh, that's easy!" Sora answered, producing his Keyblade, and pointing it forward, the tip of it shining, "Next stop: Twilight Town!"

"Roger!" Yui answered, and she steered the Gummi ship towards their next destination. They entered through a produced gate made by Sora, and appeared into open space, surrounded by floating rocks and debris. It was the ocean between worlds.

"I've already discovered the location of where Twilight Town is at!" Donald told the team.

"Coordinates received." Yui responded, "I'll try to make our way there as safely as possible!"

"It's fun to see our daughter be so professional like this." Asuna chuckled, sitting at her chair. Kirito nodded in agreement at this. He was pretty proud to see how far Yui had grown since the start of this adventure over a year ago.

* * *

In another world, there existed a large, mechanical fortress. Inside one of the deeper parts of this fortress, there exists a large lab. In it was a machine that was topped with a large, glass globe, which had swirling dark energy within it, like several rings of dark-colored data.

Maleficent, Pete and the young woman from Hercules's world all stood back as a man approached the machine, carrying a large ball of dark energy, obtained by Maleficent and Pete. The man was slightly above middle-aged, with black, curly hair that leaned forward, a short beard and a pointed nose. He wore a black and gold-trimmed trench coat, with a dark red and gold-buttoned shirt underneath, a pink ascot, black pants, and black boots with gold bolt head-like decorations on them.

"Now with this Dark Data, we can finally be one step closer to achieving our goal..." the man stated, pressing a button, causing a hole to open in the machine. He placed the Dark Data into the hole, which then went underneath and into the glass-like globe, becoming part of the swirling energy.

"As for this..." he pulled out the Pandora's Box Pete and Maleficent discovered from before, "...I'll have to extract the dark energy from it, and convert it into data. But all in all, I'd say the three of you did well."

"I'm so happy to hear you praise me, daddy~!" the young lady stated in a girly tone, "Do I get to have a reward for my hard work?"

"That, you shall have, my dear daughter." The man replied, walking back and placing a hand on the young lady's shoulder, "Why don't you go an finally 'introduce' yourself to that band of misfit heroes?"

"Really? I'm allowed to do that?" She asked, excitedly, "Ooh, I can't wait to say hello, as well as snuff out their sorry little Lights."

"Don't go and kill them off just yet." He told her, "We cannot gain darkness without their light, after all. We still need them around a little longer."

"Yes, daddy." She sighed, before turning away, and running off, creating a Corridor of Darkness to go through.

"She acts so differently when it's that guy..." Pete muttered, watching her leave.

"As for the two of you..." the man continued, speaking to Maleficent and Pete, "Need I remind the two of you about the bargain we made. I don't need you to constantly go and search for this 'black box', without making some sort of effort on gathering data."

"Why you—." Pete growled, feeling like the man was ignoring the fact that they got the Pandora's Box for him. However, Maleficent snapped, "Be quiet, fool!" Pete shut himself up.

Maleficent then turned to the man, and asked, "Will you not even tell me what it is you hope to achieve with this device of yours, Tenma?"

"You needn't worry about the details." the man known as Tenma answered, looking up at his machine, "All you need to know is that when we gather enough Dark Data from the hearts of all beings, the door to our deepest desires will be revealed before us!"

He turned to Maleficent and Pete, "And you will be on the forefront of getting whatever it is you desire, my dear. After all, you are the Mistress of All Evil. I have seen the results you can deliver. And unlike that man who betrayed you, I will never go back on my word."

Maleficent huffed, then turned and walked away from Tenma, with Pete looking between the two, the following his Mistress. Tenma watched them leave, his face smirking maliciously as he said, "Good luck."

Within the shadows, four figures were watching them leave silently. These were the Enforcers for Tenma. One was a blue-skinned woman, holding a gun in her hand. Then there was a black-hooded figure, his face hiding behind a white, reaper-like mask. A girl-like figure on all fours, growling like a beast as a propellor spun from her tail. Finally, a white ghost, with a large gem embedded into a crown. All of them were waiting for their moment to step out and obtain their desires.

* * *

 **Twilight Town**

The six heroes finally arrived at the central part of Twilight Town. They first arrived at the train station, standing right underneath the clock tower, before descending down the hill towards the place.

"It almost felt like yesterday since we were back here." Kirito noted, looking about.

"It does feel like that, since we went to a different version of this town during our Mark of Mastery." Asuna recalled, looking back on when they visited the Sleeping World version of this place. She remembered Madoka, Homura, Kyubey, and all the others who were here. It made her wonder what they were doing right now, and if things were alright between them.

"Gawrsh, we forgot to fill Master Yen Sid in on what happened." Goofy realized, "Should we go back?"

"Typical Sora." Donald scolded him.

"You mean about Maleficent and Xigbar?" Sora asked, "No, the others have already got enough on their plates as it is. Why go stressing them out?"

"Wait, Maleficent?" Kirito questioned, giving a surprised look at Sora, as were Asuna and Yui, "Was she there, too?"

"Oh...guess I forgot to tell you guys." Sora chuckled in embarrassment, "But yeah. Both Pete and Maleficent were at Thebes. I think Pete said they were looking for a black box."

"A black box?" Asuna echoed, confused.

"Doesn't matter, though." Sora continued, 'The six of us know how to handle a couple of old adversaries, right?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Donald haphazardly agreed.

"I wonder what might be in that black box they mentioned?" Yui asked, looking up at the sky.

"Come on, we're talking about Pete." Sora brushed off the topic, "That means it's probably no big deal."

"Sora, you should be more serious about this." Kirito told him off, "I get he wasn't as big of a worry before, but Olympus already showed us how much more dangerous things have gotten in this adventure. We need to be on our toes and be wary about what everyone is doing."

"Kirito?" Asuna tugged on his sleeve, pointing ahead as Sora took off, seeing the trams are still about.

"He clearly is not taking any of this seriously..." Donald sighed.

"But this is Sora, after all." Goofy chuckled, racing after him, with Goofy and Yui following behind.

"I swear, he never grows up, after all this time." Kirito pointed out, shaking his head at Sora's attitude, but smiled as he continued, "But then again, that is what makes Sora the kind of person he is."

Asuna nodded in agreement, watching as Donald pointed out that Sora was getting too excited over seeing the trams still about, despite it not being that long since they had been here.

"Maybe you're feelin' what Roxas feels cause he misses home." Goofy told Sora as the couple joined the others.

"Actually, I ran into Roxas in the Sleeping Worlds." Sora recalled, thinking back on his exams, "It was like...seeing into his heart for the first time."

"And he was in the datascape, too." Donald added.

"Uh-huh. It was a test to see if your data version was ready to face the hurt that ya carry inside." Goofy explained.

"Oh, yeah. Kayaba wrote a full letter to us." Kirito recalled, thinking back on the long letter he got via email from the former commander.

"Was I ready?" Sora asked, looking at his hands, "I know hurt. When I lost Riku and Kairi, and later when I lost the Keyblade, and you guys had to go on without me like that... Having no one to turn to was the worst kind of hurt. But that just shows how much you mean to me. Carrying around a little hurt can't be all that bad. Hurting is part of caring."

There was a pause as they contemplated what Sora said. Just seconds ago, he was acting ignorant to the troubles the enemies might bring them. Now, he was really showing his maturity by accepting the pain because it was part of the love in his heart. Sora really did have a strong and caring heart on him.

"He sounds like Data-Sora did." Donald whispered to Goofy.

"Of course. Any Sora's still Sora." He answered.

"I know the feeling of pain when losing someone I cared about." Kirito understood, "Back in SAO, when I lost Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats, it hurt a lot because she meant a lot to me. The only difference was that I ended up getting dragged down by my pain, and chose to be a solo player for a long time."

"But fortunately, I was there to pick you up, and help you out when you were as dark as the clothes you wore then." Asuna recalled, "I supported you, just like how you supported me when I was starting out in the game." She wrapped her fingers around Kirito's, smiling at him.

"So wait..." Sora started to realize something, "If Roxas feels something, then we're in the right place. Roxas, I'm gonna find you!"

Suddenly, Sora swore someone just spoke to him. "Do you seek our liege?" The voice seemed to echo into his head, startling him. He stared blankly ahead, wondering what that was.

"Is something the matter, Sora?" Yui asked. Sora didn't respond, at first. However, something did appear behind them. The familiar white figure with a certain emblem on their heads.

"Nobodies!" Goofy growled, producing his shield to confront the Dusk Nobodies that appeared.

"Good thing we're experts at this!" Donald declared, readying his staff.

The team went to work, taking on the slippery Nobodies. "It's always a bad feeling if Nobodies are in a world." Kirito grimaced, slashing down one Nobody before blocking another one's hand stab.

"No joke. If Nobodies are here, then Organization members aren't too far behind." Asuna added, freezing a couple Dusks with Blizzard.

Sora took down another Dusk, then noticed a laser was pointing at his forehead. "Look out!" Goofy shouted, getting in front of Sora with his shield, and blocking a shot that was strong enough to cause him to topple away. "Goofy!" Sora cried out to his friend.

"Snipers!" Yui called out, seeing a couple more Nobodies, who held crossbows.

"Why you...!" Sora growled, pulling out his new Heartbinder Yen Sid gave him, "Time to see if I can punish you with this!" He held the charm to his chest as he shined brightly. "As one! **Link: Meow Wow Balloon!** "

Suddenly, from ahead of him, a Meow Wow Dream Eater Spirit suddenly appeared in a puff of pink smoke, bouncing to Sora, and licked his face. "Good to see you again, buddy!" Sora greeted him, "Okay, let's do this!" He held out Meow Wow as he spun him around, then saddled right on top of him.

"Guys, back off!" He called to his friends, and they moved out of the way as Meow Wow did a 'Tornado Pounce', spinning in the air as it inflated itself, before slamming to the ground with a shockwave that knocked Dusks out of the way. He did this three more times, with Meow Wow getting bigger and bigger with every attack. Then, they unleashed 'Deflate Dash', where Meow Wow exhaled all the air it gathered, flying all over the place, slamming into Nobodies, and even catching the Snipers off-guard with the random attack. Sora and Meow Wow performed this same system again; Tornado Pounce a few times, then Deflate Dash to knock more Nobodies out.

"Okay, buddy. Let's finish this!" Sora told the Meow Wow, who suddenly inflated to an enormous size, like a balloon being over-inflated. Then suddenly, it popped, unleashing a puff of smoke, followed by Dream Eater Spirits of every single kind bouncing all about, knocking out any remaining Dusks and Snipers in the vicinity, before they vanished.

"That was odd, but effective." Kirito noted, "Then again, we know the strength of Dream Eaters first-hand."

Asuna chuckled as she saw Sora get up, laughing at the exciting ride he had. "That's true. It seemed like a really fun move to use."

"Hey! We still have a few more stragglers!" Donald shouted, as he, Goofy and Yui were dealing with some leftover Dusks.

"Sorry!" Asuna realized, going to their rescue.

"Goofy, let's take 'em out in one shot!" Kirito shouted.

"My shield's ready!" Goofy replied, and the two performed 'Goofy Bombardment', Goofy pushing both of them into the air, before Kirito hurled Goofy back to the ground, creating a shockwave impact that destroyed the remaining Dusks.

As soon as they knew the coast was clear, they gathered together, putting their weapons away. "Well, that was unexpected." Yui muttered.

"But nostalgic." Goofy retorted, "Weren't Nobodies the first things we all fought together against?"

"Yeah. That was shortly after we first met you guys." Kirito recalled, looking to the clock tower, where the battle took place, "Sure felt a long time ago..."

Asuna looked to the same direction, before looking to Sora, who's brows were furrowed in thought. "Is something wrong, Sora?" She asked.

"Just confused..." Sora answered, "What was that voice? I know I heard it."

"Voice? What voice?" Asuna asked.

"That voice that spoke, before those Nobodies appeared." Sora responded, "Didn't you hear it?" Asuna shook her head at this.

"You sure it wasn't the wind? Or somethin' else?" Goofy suggested.

"I'm pretty sure..." Sora answered, trying to figure this out. What was that voice? And what did they mean by 'Do you seek our liege'?

Suddenly, a male voice shouted, "Where'd they come from?!" From down the street.

"Get the ice cream later!" Shouted a girl's voice after.

"What? Hold up!" Another male voice followed.

"I'll hold them off!" A third male voice barked, "Get our leader!"

"I'm on it!" Cried out a young girl's voice.

"See? Voices." Sora told the team, who looked towards the direction they came from. Suddenly, Sora realized, "New ones?!", turning around to where everyone was looking. Tearing up the path, and coming around the corner, were four familiar characters.

One was a boy with burnt orange eyes and short, light brown hair, a short, black vest with red and black plaid patterns on the bottom, and silver buttons, worn over a white sleeveless shirt with a black marker skull and crossbones on the bottom-left part, baggy blue jeans, and shoes that matched his vest. He also wore a wooden cross pendant around his neck, and purple scarf on his right arm, with a yellow emblem that was hard to recognize with him pumping his arms.

The second was a girl with dark brown hair that draped her shoulders, green eyes, and wore a black and red-lined, sleeveless dress, red-checkered pants with blue and yellow lines, red socks, dark blue and black shoes with red laces, a bracelet, and a red gem-embedded necklace. She also wore a purple scarf with a yellow emblem on her left arm.

The third was a stout boy with dark brown hair sticking over a dark blue headband, light brown eyes, a black and white shirt shirt striped sleeves and a crude picture of a dog with bones, and the words 'DOG STREET' written above them. He also wore black pants, white sneakers with black soles and yellow, orange and red stripes on the sides, and a purple scarf wrapped around his collar, just like the others, only the emblem was recognizable on his; a heart with wings in front of a sunset.

The fourth was the shortest member, and the only thing that could be seen on his shadowed face was his yellow eyes. His top was hidden by a tan, tattered wizard's hat with a crooked top, a brown band near the bottom, a zipper mouth, and two green 'eyes'. He had on a light blue coat, secured by tan strings and yellow buttons, large white cuffs with brown frills, the same purple scarf sticking out of one of his pockets, green pants held by a brown leather belt with a silver buckle, brown and tan-stripped slipper shoes, and brown gloves.

"Huh? Hayner? Pence! Olette!" Sora noticed three of the figures.

"And that fourth one, if I remember, is Vivi!" Yui also recalled.

Suddenly, there was a painful-sounding grunt, and someone was sent flying into the wall. It was a young man with blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue and white-trimmed, long-sleeved coat with brown leather plating stitched to the bottom, blue jean pants, a leather belt with a silver buckle and a grey scabbard attached, brown boots with black soles and laces, brown gloves, and the purple scarf the others wore was underneath his left shoulder. He also carried a short sword with a grey metal hilt and guard, though it clattered to the ground after his attack.

"Diavel!" Kirito shouted, recognizing the character.

Just as they wondered what was it that attacked them, the heroes got their answer. A swarm of Shadow Heartless was tearing down the streets after the group. And it wasn't just a dozen, but maybe hundreds, acting like a tidal wave than anything.

 _(Insert KHIII OST 'Wave of Darkness')_

"What is THAT?!" Goofy exclaimed as they saw the swarm approaching.

Hayner suddenly recognized the group, and called out, "Hey, Sora! Kirito! Asuna!" As they ran passed them, he added, "Hello, goodbye!"

"Go! We got this!" Sora told them, readying his Keyblade again.

The swarm of Shadows suddenly rose up in the air like a spiraling snake, and started forming a ring high above, with the head of it floating in the middle of it all

"I've never seen anything like this!" Asuna gasped, while Yui was busy analyzing the group.

Kirito made a side route as he raced towards Diavel, who rose to his feet, injured by the attack. "Hang in there, Diavel!" He shouted to the young man.

"Kirito!" He suddenly noticed, "Boy, are we glad to see you again. And at just the right moment."

"We can take it from here." Kirito assured him, looking to the swarm, "Get out of here!"

"Right." He answered, racing away, looking back at Kirito as he added, "I'll send some extra backup for you guys!"

"Wait, what?!" Kirito exclaimed, wondering what kind of backup was he gonna get, but he noticed the swarm was making a move, and chose to focus on it.

The swarm started weaving around the buildings, coming after Sora and Asuna, who went to either side, avoiding the head-on collision with it. Sora then started slashing the front of the swarm, which was encased in a black ball of dark energy. Asuna unleashed jabs from her Keyblade at the head, too, before it took off into the air, swirling about once more.

"Yui, you got any idea what we're dealing with here?" Kirito asked, racing towards his daughter, who was avoiding the fight till she analyzed the Heartless.

"From what I can gather, there is a massive amount of Shadow Heartless forming together into that, merging their dark energy into an even stronger form, one that is far more threatening than anything we encountered so far." Yui placed her scanner away as she looked up at the Heartless swarm with fear, "However, the form does have a name to it; Demon Tide."

"Demon Tide..." Kirito echoed, watching Donald shoot fireballs up at it, before running away as it dove down at him. It slammed into Donald, causing him to crash into a pile of crates, before falling onto his back, unconscious.

"Donald!" Sora cried out, racing to his buddy's side as Kirito decided to take action. He wall-ran up the building as the Demon Tide turned around and came at Donald and Sora, who pulled the former out of the way to avoid getting hit. Kirito then reached the top, and leapt off, flipping forward as the Demon Tide came at him, and he clashed his Keyblade straight into it. The collision caused an explosion of light and darkness, but Kirito was sent straight into the building, gagging from getting the wind knocked outta him. He fell to the ground, his Keyblade clattering to one side.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried out as she and Yui came to his side. He pulled himself up on his hands and knees, grimacing in pain from the attack.

"That was...not a good idea..." he moaned.

"Look out!" Sora called out, seeing the Demon Tide rise up and dive down at the trio. He whipped his Keyblade to one side, and felt the potential his Keyblade could unleash. " **Counter Shield!** " He shouted, and his Keyblade transformed before everyone's eyes. The medallion suddenly became larger, as the pillar pieces of the Keyblade formed around it. Other pieces then decorated the top and bottom, and all of a sudden, Sora's Keyblade became a shield.

He appeared above the trio, raising his shield high as he took the hit head on. However, as the weapon he used was made for, the Counter Shield was able to nullify the damage by a great margin. It caused the swarm to part and reform away from the team.

"Nice goin', Sora!" Goofy cheered.

Sora landed on the ground in front of Kirito, Asuna and Yui, who noticed that lightning bolts were sticking out of the shield, while it glowed blue.

"Try this!" Sora shouted, aiming his shield at the Heartless, and producing large magical arms and fists to rapidly punch the Demon Tide, causing it to get pummeled.

"This is a completely new power Sora's unleashing!" Asuna noticed, as Kirito used a potion to heal himself.

"This must be what Gretinal was saying when he said he could tap into the power of Keyblade to make it transform." Kirito understood, "His powers are way more incredible!"

The Demon Tide was slowing down, giving Sora the opportunity he needed as he threw the shield at the head, caught up to his weapon, and unleashed spinning attacks, before ending with raising his shield high, and summoning a ring of orbs that rained down thunderbolts around him.

"We can't let's Sora have all the fun!" Kirito stated, "Let's give that thing a good walloping!"

"You got it!" Asuna answered, racing alongside him as the two, Yui, and Goofy all went to join Sora in his fight.

The Demon Tide suddenly picked up speed, and Sora ended up missing a swing at it. It curved around and tried to attack Sora while he was stuck in the air, but he raised his shield, and blocked the attack. This did send Sora down to the ground, where he skidded to a halt.

Asuna unleashed Water spells, while Yui sent tornados flying from her fan, striking the stream of Shadows with it. Unfortunately, this was not doing the amount of damage they wanted, as it turned and came at the two.

Kirito and Goofy charged in, with Goofy trying to hold back the collision with his shield, only giving enough time for the two girls to evade before getting sent flying by the attack. Kirito leapt over the bashing attack, and started running on top of the Demon Tide, striking and slicing down any Shadows that made up it.

The Demon Tide suddenly climbed up into the air, and Kirito ended up getting flipped off of it. The thing was about to curve around attack him.

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted, leaping up next to him as they both placed up defense positions with their blades. The defense failed, and the two were sent crashing into the ground, injured by the attack.

"Mama! Papa!" Yui cried, about to race to them.

"Look out!" Sora called out, using a dodge roll to grab Yui and pull her out of harms way as the Demon Tide nearly hit her. The Heartless climbed up and curved around, aiming its' sights, once again, on Kirito and Asuna, who were struggling to rise to their hands and knees. It dove down at them at speeds Sora knew he couldn't match to help them. Donald and Goofy were too injured to move. Asuna saw the attack coming, and raised her Keyblade for a bit of defense.

"Not on my watch, you don't!" A voiced could be heard from nearby. A brilliant blue light could be seen shining from her sword as she dashed forward. She suddenly appeared in front of Asuna and Kirito, unleashing a Slant Sword Skill, countering the dash from the Demon Tide. A clash of darkness and blue light could be seen as Asuna's eye shrunk. While she wore different clothing, she could easily recognize the long, purple hair, flowing behind, along with the sight of her pointed Imp ears. Her voice, and her sword, added to this mixture, told her who this person was.

The Demon Tide was pushed back, and it rose into the air, while the young girl who saved Asuna and Kirito, stood there, her red eyes focused on her opponent, and a smile forming on her face. "Don't get in the way of my reunion with someone who's like a sister to me! I've been waiting for her to return for a while." It was Yuuki Konno, the last leader of the Sleeping Knights, and the greatest swordswoman in ALO.

Like before, she wore a long red and yellow-striped ribbon as a headband on her hair. Her attire composed of a purple duster sweater over a red and purple-trimmed sleeveless dress, with a colored version of the heart, wing and sunset emblem that was on all the scarves the other guys had, and a magenta and yellow-trimmed belt with a silver buckle. She wore black leggings underneath her dress, purple boots that go up to her knees, red arm warmers, and purple glovelettes with purple and yellow-striped cuffs. The sword she carried was very similar to the sword she once carried in ALO, with a more rounded hilt.

"Y-Yuuki..." Asuna muttered, rising to her feet.

Yuuki turned and smiled up at Asuna's face, saying, "It's so great to see you again, Asuna! You too, Kirito." Kirito, who also got to his feet, was just as stunned at seeing her standing before them.

"Yuuki... Is that really..." Asuna started, finding it disbelieving that she was really there, and for good reasons.

"Wait, do they know her?" Sora asked, "Why are they so petrified?"

"I am quite shocked, myself." Yui stated, her face not as stunned as her parents, but still surprised, "I all logical senses, she shouldn't be alive."

"Wait... WHAT?!" Sora exclaimed, finding it stunning. Was she suppose to be dead?

"Yuuki!" Vivi was tearing up the street towards her, with a staff in his hands.

"Right. We'd better have a proper reunion AFTER we take that thing out." Yuuki realized, looking up at the Demon Tide. She readied her blade, and smirked as she declared, "I've been waiting for a moment like this to test my skills out. Vivi, back me up!"

"R-Right." Vivi answered, nervously.

Yuuki charged forward as the Demon Tide went down at her. Asuna and Kirito panicked, but Yuuki effortlessly dodged to one side, unleashing a string of slashes with her sword, taking out several of the Shadows in the Tide. It rose up over Kirito and Asuna, circled around, and came back at Yuuki again. She didn't even need to turn to face it again, but instead performed a backflip, flipping over the Demon Tide and landing on the stream itself. She started unleashing more slashes at the head of the Demon Tide, before it climbed and caused Yuuki to fall back to the ground, landing on her feet.

She looked up to see the Demon Tide fall down at her, ready to take her out. "Vivi, now!" She called out, pushing herself backwards from the center point of collision.

"Stop!" Vivi shouted, raising his staff, and performing a Stop spell. The spell worked, freezing the head of the Demon Tide in place. "Finish it, Yuuki!" Vivi cried out to her.

Yuuki smiled and nodded, pulling back her blade, as it emanated a purple, powerful aura. Asuna gasped, recognizing the stance she held. With a roar, Yuuki began stabbing five strikes down one angle, before unleashing five more strikes down the other angle, forming an X with ten stabs.

' _As impossible as it may seem, it really is her!'_ Asuna told herself, ' _After all, that's her Original Sword Skill. The 11-hit combo move... Mother's Rosario!'_ At Asuna's final thoughts, Yuuki sent her blade stabbing in the dead center of the X, creating an explosion of energy. A second later, the Stop spell ceased, and the Demon Tide felt the full damage of the attack, and it was enough to send it flying a good distance away from Yuuki.

The Demon Tide paused as it recovered itself, but saw that it was unable to beat a powerful opponent like Yuuki. It spiraled high into the air, before flying off into the distance, vanishing from sight. As it left, four balls of magic energy fell from its' stream, flying down to Kirito, Asuna, Sora, and the awaking Donald.

"Are these...?" Kirito realized.

"More magic for us to learn!" Donald realized, "That's the power of Cure!" The four orbs of magic went into each of them, and they could feel a familiar magic returning to them. They could now magically heal themselves again.

Asuna wasn't bothering to appreciate this returning power. She approached Yuuki as she magically placed her sword away. She turned to Asuna, seeing her still disbelieving face. After a moment, Yuuki smiled and said, "Jeez, Asuna. Stop looking like you've seen a ghost."

"It...it really is you."Asuna muttered, her eyes starting to form tears, "You're really our Yuuki, aren't you?"

"Yep..." she answered, understanding Asuna's surprise, "I gave you my Mother's Rosario, didn't I?"

With this final fact, Asuna believed, without a doubt, this was in fact, Yuuki. Unable to hold back her tears, she dashed forward, and pulled Yuuki into a hug, bawling into her shoulder. "Yuuki! You're alive! Yuuki!" she cried, her joy gushing out like a bursting dam from seeing her again.

Yuuki, slightly startled at Asuna's powerful emotions, began to soften as she felt Asuna's tight embrace, and could smell the scent of the sun off of her. She smiled as she returned the embrace, saying, "Yeah, I'm alive. It's so great to see ya again, Asuna. And...I missed ya so much, as well." Tears formed in her eyes as she sniffled, hearing Asuna's cries in her ears.

Behind them, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Yui all recovered and got back together again, watching the reunion with happiness. Hayner, Pence, Olette, Vivi, and Diavel all joined together to watch the scene as well. After knowing Yuuki's backstory, they could understand Asuna's feelings. Sora, Donald and Goofy, on the other hand, had no clue.

"Isn't Yuuki one of the fellers who was revived before?" Goofy asked, "Why hasn't Asuna seen her before this?"

"Because Yuuki didn't die in SAO." Kirito answered, "She actually died a little over a year ago, due to her real body suffering from an illness she had since she was born. So we're pretty stunned to see her alive and well."

"And she's even in her avatar form from Alfheim Online." Yui added, "I wonder how this is possible?"

"We were pretty surprised to see her, too." Pence spoke up, getting the heroes attention to see the five approach them, "She suddenly appeared as a ghost in the digital Twilight Town, but when we brought her over, she became a whole person again."

"She showed up in the digital Twilight Town?" Sora asked, surprised.

"I wonder...how did her data end up getting transferred and reconstructed in Twilight Town?" Kirito questioned, looking to see Yuuki pull herself away from Asuna, trying to stop the tears from her eyes, "And even if we knew the answer to that, there are still some things I don't understand, like is her heart and mind fully restored? Does she have the same exact memories as the Yuuki we know?"

"Hey, don't act like I'm some sort of digital copy!" Yuuki called out, overhearing what Kirito was saying, "It's all me, heart and whatnot! I haven't lost a single bit of my memory. I can tell you my life story, if you don't believe me."

"N-No, I don't need to hear it. I believe it's you." Kirito retorted, "I mean, Asuna, Leafa, Recon and I came here, leaving our old bodies behind to be real people. I shouldn't question yours."

"But...that still doesn't explain how you're actually alive in the first place." Asuna added, finally calming herself down, "I mean, I am really, REALLY happy you are alive. But your real body died, and I watched you die in my arms in ALO."

"I...still don't know what happened, either." Yuuki admitted, "Someone told me that so many hearts wished for me to be alive again, that I just ended up being reborn. But that sounds pretty crazy to me."

Asuna hiccuped a chuckle as she finally dried her tears, and replied, "Believe me, Kirito and I have seen crazier miracles. But even so, this is one that I am so happy to see come true." Yuuki gave a cheeky grin and nodded in response to this comment.

"So anyways..." Hayner continued, turning to Sora and the others, "Thanks for helpin' us out there, guys."

"Yeah." Sora responded, "Hayner, Pence, Olette, Diavel. It's been ages!"

"What? It hasn't been THAT long." Hayner retorted.

"Ya see?" Donald sighed, seeing a repeat of Sora's time misunderstanding.

"Donald! Goofy! Yui! How are ya?" Olette greeted the three 'sidekicks'.

"We're good!" Donald answered.

"Howdy there, Olette." Goofy greeted her.

"Nice to see you again." Yui bowed to her, looking to Vivi, "I don't think we've met officially before."

"Oh, yeah! I'm Vivi." The hidden-faced girl greeted her.

"Weren't you part of Seifer's gang?" Sora asked, recalling the last time he met her.

"Not anymore..." Vivi replied, kind of saddened by this.

"Seifer, Rai and Fuu all left Twilight Town a while ago." Hayner explained, "Seifer wanted to find a way to get stronger to beat Yuuki in Struggle, since she kept whooping his butt." He seemed pretty smug at this as he watched Yuuki and Asuna come back to them.

"Setzer also left town, after having a string of losses to Yuuki." Diavel added, "He said he was planning to try his hands on gambling the next town over."

"Sounds like you've been causing people to leave town." Asuna stated, looking to her dear friend.

"It's not like I do it on purpose." Yuuki mumbled, acting like the innocent victim, then asking, "Why don't you introduce me to your new friends? I recognize Kirito and Yui, though I can see they both got new wardrobes. So did you."

"I could say the same about you, Yuuki." Asuna told her, "You look more like a civilian than a fairy warrior." Yuuki placed her hands on her hips, proudly showing her new look to her big sis. "Anyways, these are our three friends, Sora, Donald and Goofy." They all said their hellos to Yuuki.

"Oh, so YOU'RE Sora." Yuuki understood, "Hayner and the others wouldn't stop talking about how crazy things get when you guys are around."

"R-Really?" Sora asked, trying to feign ignorance to the trouble they bring.

"So if you guys are here, does this mean that weird stuff is going down again?" Pence asked.

"You kidding, Pence?" Hayner got in his face, "When have we ever seen a tornado of shadowy blobs before? This is not 'weird'..." He had a look of triumph as he declared, "This is under-precedented."

"Hmm, I guess it is." Pence agreed, "The creatures from the last time were bright white. These things must be new. Man, I can't wait to get to sleuthin'."

' _If they only knew how common they were to us...'_ Kirito and Sora mentally stated.

"We're already done with the school project, silly." Olette told the two boys, then to the six heroes, "Whatever's going on, you wouldn't be here unless you had a good reason."

"Speaking of which, what is it you're here for?" Diavel asked.

"Well, actually, we're looking for Roxas." Sora answered.

"Roxas?" Olette echoed, looking to Pence and Olette.

"That's funny..." Hayner mumbled, "I don't know any Roxas, but the name sounds familiar."

"I don't know anyone named Roxas..." Diavel muttered, looking to Vivi, "Have you heard about him?"

"No...but it kinda sounds familiar..." Vivi answered, looking very puzzled.

"Maybe we bumped into him somewhere?" Pence assumed.

"Uh, that's one way to put it." Donald muttered, looking to Goofy.

"Actually, he mighta been friends with another version of ya." Goofy dug into his back pocket, and pulled out a photo. It was the same photo that was given to the team a long time ago, shortly after Maleficent, for some reason, saved the team from the Organization's ploy to use their Keyblades to gather hearts. It showed a picture of Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas, all gathered together at the front gate to the mansion.

Goofy handed this photograph to Hayner's gang, who looked at it. "This photograph..." Olette muttered.

"Yeah. We've got the same one." Pence realized, pulling out a photograph. It was nearly the same picture taken, with one thing missing; Roxas. He was not part of their photo.

"Oh yeah! The other Twilight Town!" Hayner suddenly realized, looking at the two photos.

"You mean, the one you guys found me in?" Yuuki asked, walking around to examine the photos.

"It's like one of those 'spot the differences' puzzles...except really easy." Pence compared, "I guess in that town, we're friends with this 'Roxas' person."

After a moment of looking, Hayner declared, "Sora, let us help you track Roxas down."

"Really?" Sora asked, excitedly.

"Sure, he seems like a pretty cool guy." Hayner answered, looking at the photo.

"Wait a minute!" Yuuki stopped them, getting in the middle of the group, "If we are to do this job, we'd better do it right..." She looked to Sora with a smile as she asked, "So you're 'requesting' help from us to find Roxas, right?"

"Um... sure?" He answered, looking a bit confused.

"Good! Then consider your job request accepted by the Twilight Knights." Yuuki declared, putting her hands on her hips.

"The Twilight Knights?" Asuna echoed, looking to Yuuki and her friends.

"Sure. It's a guild Yuuki founded for us." Olette explained.

"You made a guild here?" Yui asked, surprised.

"A guild?" Sora echoed, looking to Kirito for explanation.

"Basically, a group who work together to complete quests and jobs." He explained, "Back in ALO, there were plenty of guilds out there. Yuuki was the leader of the group of friends called the Sleeping Knights."

"Wow..." Sora muttered, looking intrigued. He wondered if there was any way for them to form a guild together. He then asked, "Were you part of any guilds?"

"Well, I was part of the Moonlit Black Cats in SAO before...well, after that I ended up a solo player." Kirito explained, "Then I was forcibly part of the guild Asuna was second-in-command to, Knights of the Blood Oath. In ALO, my friends and I aren't an official guild, but we do hang together and work together like one. It just seemed a bit of a hassle to become one."

"So, as for how you'll pay for our help..." Yuuki's words drew the attention of the team.

"Payment?" Donald asked.

"Sure. We gotta save up money for stuff like snacks, and going to the beach." Pence explained.

"Not to mention paying out rent." Diavel added.

"I'm...not sure how much Munny we have." Asuna muttered, pulling out her purse.

"We're not going to pay THEM so we can find Roxas!" Hayner argued with Yuuki.

"Hold your horses. I'm not gonna pay anything too steep." She assured him, walking over to Asuna and placing her hands around Asuna's arm, "I wanna spend time with Asuna, just the two of us. That's payment enough."

Asuna smiled and gave a good laugh, then said, "Sure. That's payment enough for us, right guys?"

"Sure!" "You deserve it." Sora and Kirito answered.

"Great! The folks around town are starting to come out now that threat is over." Yuuki explained, looking to see the citizens were doing just that, "Why don't you ask them?"

"Yeah. I mean, if alternate-us knew Roxas, then maybe alternate other folks did, too." Pence assumed.

"Mm-hmm. Sora, you three should go to the place in the photo." Olette told Sora and the gang, "It's the old mansion. The five of us'll cover places in town."

"Thanks." Sora replied, then suddenly realized, "Oh yeah! I got this phone thingy that takes pictures. Want to snap a photo while we're all here?" He pulled out the Gummiphone as he finished.

"Sure!" "That's a great idea!" "I wanna be in a photo!" Hayner, Pence and Vivi all responded, respectively.

"Wait, who's gonna actually take the picture?" Kirito asked, "It doesn't have a timed photo setting on this, does it?"

"Huh?" Sora looked confused.

Kirito took the phone and looked at the camera functions. "No timer photo... Guess I have something to complain to Kayaba." he muttered.

"One of us'll have to be the photographer." Diavel pointed out, "Should we draw straws and see?"

After a couple minutes, the choice was made. Donald held the phone, Goofy stood next to him, while the others stood together. Asuna and Yuuki stood together in the center of the group, with Sora next to Asuna, and Hayner next to Yuuki. Kirito, Diavel, and Pence were by Sora's side, while Yui, Vivi and Olette stood by Hayner's side.

"Why do I have to do it?!" Donald demanded angrily.

"Hey, tough luck. You drew the short straw." Sora reminded him.

"It's okay." Goofy assured him, "I'm sittin' outta the photo with ya, Donald."

"Then YOU take the photograph!" Donald squawked, placing the Gummiphone in Goofy's hands, before stomping over to the team and standing in front of Yuuki and Asuna.

The two looked down at him, then Yuuki stated, "You got some new n' interesting friends, Asuna."

"That I do." Asuna sighed, shaking her head at Donald's selfishness. She then place her hand around Yuuki, while she did the same, and the two held peace symbols in front of them, exactly like how they did when they had the photo in victory of defeating the 27th Floor boss.

"Everybody smile! A-hyuck!" Goofy chortled, and he snapped the photo of the group.

Everyone came around as Yuuki took the Gummiphone, and saw their picture. Everyone made noises of amazement and joy as Pence stated, "Wow, that came out great!"

"It's a pretty good look for us!" Diavel added.

"Oh! A lucky emblem." Olette noticed, and she pointed out something behind her, Yui and Hayner. There was a divot on the wall that had a large circle, and two smaller circles, forming a familiar face.

"Lucky emblem?" Sora echoed, confused.

"Oh, yeah, they are HUGE right now." Olette explained, "Supposedly, these things are hidden all over town. And if you get a picture of them, they'll bring you good luck." Sora, Donald, Goofy and Yui were all made sounds of interest from this.

"Have you found any?" Kirito asked, looking to Hayner, Pence and Diavel. They all shook their heads at this.

"I found a couple." Vivi stated, "I can show you them when you have the time."

"Please! I would love to find them!" Yui stated eagerly, "In fact, I could've sworn I saw a couple in Olympus."

"You know, it kinda looks familiar..." Asuna noted, examining the lucky emblem, "Doesn't it look like...?"

"You're right! I see it too." Goofy noticed.

"Is it the King?" Donald asked.

"Thought so." Asuna muttered, "Wonder if he's the one who placed them there?"

"Who are you talking about?" Yuuki asked her

"I'll tell you later."

"Good luck, because they're not all this easy to find." Olette warned them.

"Okay, we'd better start asking around." Hayner told the team, looking to Sora, "You start by checking out the old mansion. We'll catch up."

"I wanna take Asuna to my place." Yuuki added, "I wanna show her what I've been doing."

"You have a home?" Asuna asked.

"Sure! It's a small apartment, and it's above our Usual Place." Yuuki explained, taking Asuna by the hand and pulling her along, "Come on, I'll show ya!"

"Okay, slow down!" Asuna told her, getting dragged along by her dear friend, then to the others, she called out, "I'll catch up with you guys, okay?!"

"Take your time." Kirito answered, waving her and Yuuki off.

"Let's start investigating." Diavel told them, and the Twilight Knight members dispersed.

"I wanna check out the theatre!" Vivi called out as she raced with Hayner.

"You just wanna watch another show there." He accused her, to which she whimpered a moan, showing how true he was.

"Let's head out to the mansion." Goofy told the team, "If I remember correctly, the mansion is just past the woods."

"Wonder if that hole in the wall is still there?" Kirito asked, "Let's go and find out!" The five remaining members of the team went out to find a path towards the mansion where it all started for the six of them, and where Roxas's summer vacation ended.

Up above, on top of the Moogle-owned store, a Corridor of Darkness opened up, and out stepped the lavender-haired young lady. She was on one of the metal smokestacks, which had a lucky emblem on it. She stepped directly on top of the emblem as she smirked and watched the heroes all take their leave. "Now, to make my introduction to them..." she told herself, prepared to summon her weapon as the Corridor closed behind her.

She suddenly stopped, and sniffed the air. She looked to the direction of the smell, and saw a large bistro nearby. She looked between it and the disappearing heroes, then shrugged as she stated, "Eh, I guess a cup of tea wouldn't hurt. I haven't had a good cup in a while..." She dropped down from the rooftop, and towards the bistro.

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III**

 **The Light and Darkness Within Twilight!**


	5. The Light and Darkness in Twilight!

"Oh, wow!" Asuna gasped, pulling out a familiar set of garment from a dresser. It was Yuuki's old ALO garments, with her chestplate on top of the neatly-folded clothes.

"Yep. I kept 'em around for sentimental purposes." Yuuki answered, grinning at her 'sister'.

After Asuna and Yuuki reunited, the pair left the others to Yuuki's apartment, which was close to where the Usual Place was. The place in general did have a big change; a banner with the name 'Twilight Knights' and the emblem of the guild on either side of the words. The apartment was small, but it contained her own bedroom, a bathroom with a standing shower, and a small kitchen.

"When was the last time you wore this?" Asuna asked, putting down attire back in the dresser, closing it shut.

"It's been a pretty long while." she answered, looking at the drawer, "It might be a bit small for me, now."

"I'll say." Asuna agreed, looking at Yuuki, "Now that I think about it, you were shorter than me last time. But now..." She approached her, and saw the her height change, "...You're nearly the same height as me. Just how long have you been here?"

"Mmm...If I remember, next week would make it seven months since I was reborn into this world. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised by how fast I've been growing." she giggled as she joked, "Maybe I'm just catching up with all the growing I missed out when I was dead!"

Asuna's smile faltered a bit. "You shouldn't joke about your death like that. You know how much I missed you since you were gone."

"You're right. Sorry." Yuuki apologized, "I know I shouldn't talk about that so nonchalantly. But still..." she placed a hand over her chest, looking at where her heart was, "It's still pretty insane that I ended up reviving again. And what's more, I no longer have any terminal illnesses holding me back. I'm free to do whatever I want!"

She smiled eagerly as she looked out the window, with Asuna following her gaze. "I'm able to go to school without looking through a lens. I can hang out with my friends without the need of the virtual world. I can have a normal life...without worrying if my body will suddenly shut down at any moment. I feel like it's too good to be true. That I'll wake up, and find that this is all just a dream, and that I'm still..." She didn't want to finish that sentence, really not wanting such a fear to be true.

Asuna hand suddenly rested on Yuuki's shoulder, and she turned to see her gentle, smiling face staring at her. "I can assure you this is no dream. Want me to pinch you to prove it?"

Yuuki doubtful face became a smirk as she answered, "No. I ask Hayner or the others to do it every morning, just to be safe." She and Asuna giggled at her answer, finding it amusing.

"But still, I guess this means I can fulfill my promise I made a long time ago." Asuna followed up, "I said I would find you again in another world, and we could talk, and I can learn about everything you've been up to."

Yuuki suddenly recalled those words were the last ones she heard Asuna say before she passed away. "Yeah... I guess I did remember you saying that." She agreed, "Though who would've thought it would come true like this." They shared another giggled, agreeing with the irony.

"Although, from what I heard from Hayner, Diavel, and the others, I'm guessing you guys might've had a crazier amount of things you've been through. Why don't you start by telling me everything?"

Asuna rubbed the back of her head, realizing her dear friend was clearly out of the loop of what happened, since everything involving the Keyblade started shortly after Yuuki's funeral. "I...don't know how long it'll take for me to explain everything." She admitted.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Yuuki joked, grinning eagerly, "Why don't you start with how you ended up in this world. Also, I would like to know about those friends of yours, Sora, Donald and Goofy."

Asuna smiled at Yuuki's interest in the trio, and she answered, "They're three dear friends of ours that, had we not met, we wouldn't have gotten far at all. It all started with this new quest that appeared in Aincrad..."

* * *

 _(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)_

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

Back with Sora and Kirito's team, they soon discovered that the hole in the wall they usually had available to them to the mansion was now patched up and gone. After looking about, they learned from Hayner that there was an underground conduit that would lead them to the woods where the mansion was.

"Aw... Do we have to go that way?" Donald whined, looking at the far-from-clean path ahead of them.

"It's the only way to the mansion, Donald." Yui informed him.

"Just try not to inhale through your nose." Sora told him, walking down the steps with Kirito and Goofy. The two shortest followed behind. As soon as they started on the path, Sora started, "So, what's the story about Yuuki? She seems pretty close to you guys, especially Asuna."

"Yuuki was...or rather, is the strongest swordswoman in all of Alfheim Online, the VRMMO Asuna, Yui and I play." Kirito started to explain as they walked, "Her fighting skills and reaction speed are beyond awesome. She's so good, she's even beaten me AND Asuna in one-on-one duels."

"She was that strong?" Goofy asked.

"And is, considering how well she handled that Demon Tide." Yui added, thinking back on how easily she handled the Heartless that attacked them before.

"Aw, we just softened it up before she came along." Donald huffed, not wanting to admit they were helpless against it.

"But, if she was that strong, how did she die?" Sora asked, "You said she died because she was sick?"

"A terminal illness that she had when she was born. AIDS, if you want to be accurate." Kirito answered, "She ended up being placed inside a piece of equipment called the Medicuboid, which allowed her pain to the sickness to be nulled, and she would be in a full-dive state. That's where we met her. She and some of her friends, all of which were patients with terminal illnesses, were Players in Alfheim Online, forming a guild called the Sleeping Knights."

"So, how did you guys meet?" Sora asked, avoiding an icky pool of water by leaping over it.

Kirito stopped and looked up, recalling that day. "Yuuki's guild was planning to tackle a floor boss on their own, so their names could be engraved in Aincrad, and they could be remembered forever. They needed a seventh member to join their raid, so Yuuki started dueling people. She ended up winning sixty-seven duels in a row, including beating me."

"S-Sixty-seven wins in a row?!" Sora gasped, the number shocking him, Donald and Goofy, "That's insane! She's that strong?! And she even beat you, too?!"

"Yep. I'll admit, I wasn't going full out. But even so, I knew it would still not be enough." Kirito admitted, continuing the walk through the conduit, "Anyways, Asuna was her next opponent, and she impressed her so much, Yuuki chose her to be the seventh member. So, they worked together, and they managed to beat the floor boss on their own."

Kirito sadly looked down as he continued, "But Yuuki didn't want Asuna to know about her illness, because she was sure she didn't have that much time to live. So, she tried to cut ties with her. However, thanks to some strings I pulled, she found her again, and learned the truth. Asuna didn't want to stop their friendship. In fact, we helped Yuuki go to school using a piece of equipment I made, and helped her see more outside the hospital and virtual world. She and Asuna became so close, it was like they were sisters. She lived longer than what the doctors expected. But...then her illness took a turn for the worse, and she ended up dying in Asuna's arms."

Sora, Donald and Goofy looked mournfully at these final words for a few seconds, before Goofy, the optimistic character he was, pointed out, "But now, there's nothing to worry about. She's alive again, so you should be happy about that."

"We are. But we're just wondering how." Yui pointed out, "She wasn't like those who died in SAO. Her death wasn't exactly in-game, and her data wasn't stored away."

"Right. Kayaba stored the data of all the Players within the deepest parts of Aincrad's programming." Kirito noted, "And what's more, we ended up needing to use Tron's world and tech to revive the SAO Players. Pence said that he found Yuuki inside the Digital Twilight Town, so maybe there are some clues there to learn how she ended up reviving."

As Kirito was deep in thought, Sora watched him for a while, not having any suggestions to follow up on Kirito's thoughts, nor able to fully understand his 'tech mumbo-jumbo'. So instead, he said, "I kind of get what you are saying, but at the same time, I think you might be overthinking it."

The team nearly reached the stairs to make their way out when Kirito stopped and looked at him, asking, "What do you mean? Aren't you curious?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess..." Sora admitted, "But it really doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is that Yuuki's alive. No use thinking too hard about it."

Donald, Goofy and Yui looked at one another, then Donald said, in a hush tone, "That's because Sora doesn't think too much."

"He never plans how to get from Point A to Point B, anyway." Yui added, "Mama and Papa really do that for him."

"That's just the kind of person he is." Goofy pointed out.

"I can hear you!" Sora argued angrily, causing them to avert eye contact with him.

Kirito laughed at this, and said, "Still, I guess you're right. I shouldn't worry about how Yuuki was revived. Then again, it might be useful to know. In fact, it might lead us to find a way to revive Roxas again."

"You...actually have a point." Sora agreed, "In that case, let's go to the mansion, and see if we can't figure it out!" With an idea set, the five heroes raced up the steps, towards the metal bunker door, opening it up to reveal themselves in the woods they recognized before. They were on the right path to the mansion.

"Hey, look!" Goofy pointed something out to the team. On the exterior of one of the doors was a familiar, Mickey Mouse-shaped divot.

"A lucky emblem!" Yui noticed, turning to Sora, "Let's take a picture!"

"Sure." Sora answered, pulling out the Gummiphone, and preparing to take a photo. Yui was next to the emblem, her hands behind her back, and a grin on her face. Sora took a photo of both of them together. "Got it!" He declared, showing Yui and Goofy the photo.

"Guys, over here!" Kirito shouted. The trio raced over to where he and Donald were at. They halted once they saw two things that caught their attention. The first thing was that there was a bunch of fruit scattered about the ground. They still looked fresh, and didn't look like they dropped from any trees.

"What is this?" Donald questioned.

"I think it's forming a trail." Yui noticed, seeing that it wasn't a random scattering of fruit, but rather it formed a trail, like someone was dropping them as they moved. The trail led to a tree, where the team looked up and saw, hanging in the trees, the second thing that caught their attention; a bunch of monkeys. However, these monkeys had familiar emblems and yellow glowing eyes to them.

"Heartless!" Goofy exclaimed.

"They're Powerwilds." Yui analyzed, "They are very athletic Heartless, able to climb up most places."

"What do ya think they're up to?" Sora asked.

Kirito examined the Heartless closely. They looked like they were surrounding a stump of a tree branch high up. Upon closer inspection, he noticed someone was actually there. A gray-haired rat on its' hind legs was looking about at the Heartless, unable to escape. "I see it. There's a rat on that branch!" he pointed out to everyone, "But why are the Heartless targeting it?"

"Help now, ask later!" Sora answered, pulling out his Keyblade. This reveal attracted the Heartless, and some leapt down at the heroes. The rest of the team brandished their weapons, and they went to work.

"Hey! Since when do Heartless grow on trees?" Donald demanded, unleashing Fire spells at the Powerwilds in the trees.

"It's like Yui said. They're able to climb up places most Heartless can't." Sora noted, switching Keyblades to his Kingdom Key, and striking back a couple of Powerwilds with a couple slashes.

"Ya know, this reminds me of when we fought these things way back in Tarzan's world." Goofy recalled, protecting himself from a flurry of swipes from one of the monkeys.

"I don't remember that..." Kirito noted, unleashing his Second Form, and brandishing his Elucidator sword against the Heartless.

"Oh, yeah. You guys weren't around that time." Sora recalled, already entering into his Second Form, and unleashing a magnetic spiral that attracted the Powerwilds, before blasting and destroying them.

The team decided to stop the chit-chat, and get back to the fighting, as Powerwilds kept coming out of the woodworks to try and take the team down. However, thanks to their forms, magic, and a couple team attacks done by Kirito and Goofy, as well as Sora and Yui, they managed to clear out the Heartless without any extensive damage.

When they were all done, the five heroes gathered at the scattered fruit, which was remarkably untouched by the heroes or Heartless. The rat, who was up the tree, descended down and raced towards the heroes, showing he was just fine.

"Are you alright?" Yui asked him, crouching down to see if he was fine. The rat nodded in agreement, indicating he was just fine.

"Well, take care." Sora waved to the rat, and walked around him, with the rest of the team bringing up the rear.

Yui stood up, and was about to walk off when she noticed the rat was looking about at all the fruit with an anxious look. "Is there something wrong?" She asked him.

The rat looked to her, then at the four others, mainly at the back of Sora's head. It then made a dash to Sora, leaping onto his shoe, and scrambling himself up to the top of his head. He then took two tufts of Sora's spiky hair, and tugged on one of them. All of a sudden, Sora spun around, exclaiming, "Whoa! Wha-what is—?!" He struggled to get control of his body as he robotically started walking back to the fruit.

"Are you okay?" Donald asked, confused.

Yui hadn't moved from the spot, but watched in amazement as the rat shifted Sora's tuft, and made him reach down, picking up an apple. "How is it-?!" She gasped.

"Lookie! That little feller's parked on your head." Goofy noticed.

"It looks like he controlling you with your hair!" Yui gasped.

"Huuuh?!" Sora gasped, remotely turned around to the others by the rat. He then forced Sora to bend down and pick up another apple.

"Sora, you've been hijacked!" Donald realized.

"Is it really possible to control someone's movements by their hair?" Yui asked, tugging on some of her hair.

"It should be impossible...but we've seen weirder." Kirito muttered, mentally adding another impossible thing now made possible in his journey with the Keyblade.

"Ya know, maybe he want you to pick up the fruit for him." Goofy assumed. The rat nodded in confirmation to this assumption.

Sora, a little annoyed by his 'pilot', looked up to him and said, "Okay, that's fine. But I can do it by myself." The rat hopped off his head, and hopped onto the apple in Sora's right hand. "I just need to collect the fruit?" He asked. The rat nodded again.

"Let's all work together to gather them up." Yui decided, grabbing a lime and an orange from the ground.

"Really?" Donald huffed.

"Every good deed helps." Goofy told him.

"Let's make this quick." Kirito added, walking passed the team to start the gathering process.

The five members started to work together to gather up all the fruit. They made sure there was a nice open spot for them, and they piled them up together, making sure they were still fresh and ripe. When they were done, Sora asked the rat, "So, what're you gonna do with all this, anyway?"

The rat made a chopping movement with his hand, before his other hand looked like it was pushing something to one side. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Yui all looked confused, but Kirito was guessing from the hand gestures, "Chopping...pushing to one side...you plan to cut up the fruit for something?" The rat nodded with a smile on his face.

"Guys!" The team heard a familiar voice. They turned to see Vivi popping out of the conduit exit, racing up to them with an empty brown sack over one shoulder.

"Vivi?" Sora noticed as he came to a halt, panting from running so far. The rat, however, folded his front paws across his chest, and looked slightly crossed with his arrival.

"S-Sorry I'm late..." Vivi panted, looking at the rat, "Forgot about the time..."

"You know this little guy?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. This little guy often asks the Twilight Knights for help." Vivi explains, bringing the sack to the fruit, "We go about and gather ingredients for him."

"For what reason?" Yui asked.

"Dunno, but he apparently works for the Bistro in town." The young mage explained, putting the fruit into the sack, "We don't mind, cause the rewards we get are delicious!" He filled the bag up with all the fruit, and placed it over one shoulder. The rat climbed onto the brim of Vivi's hat.

"Well, okay. You two be careful going home." Sora told the pair.

"Right. See ya!" Vivi told them, hobbling back to the conduit with the bag filled with fruit. The rest of the team waved them off as they left, until they vanished from sight.

"Now that's done, let's keep making our way to the mansion." Kirito told the group, and they made their way to their destination; the mansion.

* * *

Back with the others, near the entrance of the conduit, Asuna and Yuuki decided to make their way towards where the others were heading. Asuna had just finished giving the sum up on what happened in the first adventure with Sora and the team, right up to finishing off Xemnas and the Organization, and returning home. As Asuna was partially through talking about the adventure in the second world, up to what happened when they returned to their home world.

"Eeeeh?!" Yuuki exclaimed, her voice echoing loudly through the conduit, "Y-You're adopted?!"

"Yeah. It was a major shock to me." Asuna admitted, fully understanding her dear friend's exclamation, "Turns out, I wasn't even from our home world, either. This Wayfinder was the only other thing that came with me when I was separated from my home." She held out the said white star ornament to Yuuki, who looked pretty amazed at it. "It was later on that I learned that not only was this given to me by my real mother, but that I had an older sister."

"You have an older sister, too?" Yuuki asked, surprised, "Have ya seen her? What's she like?"

"Her name is Aqua, and I only met her one time. She's a Keyblade Master, like me. From what I heard, she was a really strong person, and dedicated to her friends. When I met her, I could see how sweet and kind she was. She was very pretty, too."

"Wow...I would love to meet her!" Yuuki told Asuna, "So where is she?"

Asuna's smile fell at this question. She came to a stop, and after a second's pause, she answered, "She's lost. She's trapped deep within the Realm of Darkness, unable to get out on her own. And although I gained the power to find her, I don't have the strength to save her."

"Asuna..." Yuuki looked to her sisterly figure with a sad expression. She then smiled as she stated, "Well, I know you'll be able to save her. I mean, ya helped me out when ya learned about my condition before, right? And you said you've been to so many crazy places, and fought tough opponents all over the place. I know you'll be able to get your sister back. And then, when ya do find her, I want to meet her. That's a promise, okay?"

Asuna looked back at Yuuki for a moment, then laughed at her undying faith, as she answered, "You're just as confident in my ability to save her as my friends are. You outta spend more time with Sora, cause I get you two are kindred spirits." Yuuki gave a toothy grin at this suggestion. "Okay. When I find her again, I'll bring her back here, and introduce you to her." Asuna promised.

"You'd better do that." Yuuki answered, continuing them on their walk, "I would LOVE to come with you guys to other worlds, and see all there is to offer. But I know I'm better off taking care of things here with my friends."

"Plus, it's a lot more dangerous out there than you think." Asuna warned her, "The Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, the Organization... I know you are strong, Yuuki, but I don't want you to get involved with battles that are meant for me, Sora, Kirito and the rest of my allies."

Just then, the two heard a shout up ahead, and saw Vivi running as fast as he could, rounding the corner, with a sack of objects over one shoulder, and a rat on top of his hat, holding on for dear life

"Vivi! You okay?" Yuuki asked.

"H-Help! More of those yellow-eyed monsters!" Vivi exclaimed, running past the pair of girls. They looked to see a group of Heartless coming after him; Shadows, Soldiers, and new Heartless that looked like white cats on on their hind legs, and their bodies in yellow jars.

"Heartless!" Asuna growled, readying her Keyblade.

"Keep going, Vivi. We got this!" Yuuki told her ally, producing her sword, which according to her, was named 'Darkbright'. The two girls went into their fighter's stances, and readied themselves to fend off the Heartless.

They moved as one, taking out the first two Shadow Heartless in one strike. After that, they ended up splitting apart, and taking on the Heartless their own ways. Yuuki was easily evading and parrying the attacks that came at her, using nothing but her reaction speeds and her sword. Asuna's skills with her Keyblade, along with her footwork, made her practically untouchable.

Asuna flipped away from the Heartless group, and pointed her Keyblade forward, shouting, "Freeze up!" She unleashed Blizzard, sending a spear of icy energy shooting along the ground, freezing the floor it touched, along with the Soldier it touched. She then used her Flowmotion to slide along the icy trail she made, slashing the Heartless she froze as she made a somersault flip, and stabbed into one of the new Heartless.

"Neat trick, sis!" Yuuki told her as she took out another Shadow Heartless.

"If you like that, you're gonna love this..." she told her, as she felt the Water Cufflink's energy start to emanate up to her Keyblade, "Back off from the Heartless!"

Yuuki doubled back as Asuna made sure to be the center of attention for the creatures of darkness. As they surrounded her, she pointed at the closest on in front of her, and shouted, " **Waterza!** " The water attack shot forward, and exploded with an intense blast that consumed Asuna and all the Heartless around her. Yuuki fell to her butt, enduring the shockwave of the attack. When the attack, she saw Asuna was still standing there, unfazed and undamaged by the attack she unleashed, but not any signs of the Heartless about.

"Whoa..." Yuuki muttered, rising to her feet again, "You really have gotten stronger."

Asuna smiled at her as she stated, "Actually, I only just recently learned that magic."

"And here I thought Vivi's magic was cool!" Yuuki stated, "I might wanna learn a spell or two..."

"Well, considering Kirito needed to count on magic once in a while, I guess you would do that, too." The Lightning Flash stated, walking back to Yuuki, before the two continued onward to the path ahead, trying to catch up with the others.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and Kirito's team finally made it to the mansion. They passed the front gate, looking about the place before stopping between the two broken pillars close to the entrance. The team looked up at the mansion for a moment, getting every detail of the place. To Donald and Goofy, they were a bit nervous. To Kirito and Yui, they felt nostalgia. But to Sora, all he could do was look at the window on the left side, on the second floor. The interior was hidden by white, patterned curtains. A part of him, the part that was Roxas, seem to be hoping he would see a silhouette of a person he knew. A person he, and at one point Sora, really cared about. After a few seconds, Sora pulled himself back together, looking at the front door.

"Whaddaya think, guys?" he asked the team, "This place is even creepier than I remember."

"You think?" Kirito responded, "Looks pretty much the same to me..."

"I don't think I was this size when I was here before, so it does feel different." Yui noted, thinking back to the fact that she was in her pixie form every time she was here.

"Well, they do say that this mansion is haunted." Goofy pointed out to Donald, who shuddered in response.

"Be glad Asuna's not here. She would freak at that." Kirito chuckled.

Suddenly, someone came up from behind Sora, and placed a hand on his shoulder, greeting him with a 'Hey there.' With his mind on the mansion being haunted, Sora freaked, startling the rest of the team, as he shoved off the hand, only to see that it belonged to Hayner. Pence, Olette, and Diavel were also right behind him.

Once Sora saw who it was, he gave a sigh of relief, then barked, "Thanks for the heart attack!"

"Oh, what? Did I scare you?" Hayner sassed.

"Not a chance!" Donald squawked angrily.

"Nah. You just had perfect timing..." Kirito added.

"Our bad." Olette apologized.

"So how did it go?" Sora asked, "Did you get any leads?"

Hayner looked to Pence and Diavel, who gave signs that they would answer, and Pence answered, "Nope, 'fraid not. The asking around thing was a total bust."

"No one even had the slightest clue who Roxas was." Diavel added, "One or two people had some familiarity to the name, but were just as unsure of the guy as these guys are."

"Yep." Hayner agreed, "This old mansion is our last hope." Everyone looked up at the mansion.

"Well, guess there's no time like the present." Kirito decided.

"Another Twilight Town awaits!" Pence declared. The rest of the team gave signs of confirmation to this declaration.

When they entered into the place, they found the building...actually a bit cleaner than they remembered. The dirt was cleaned around the place, and broken pieces of furniture and parts of the stairs were fixed up a bit. It wasn't completely back to normal, but it looked a lot more pleasant than before, and much more than it looked on the outside.

"Was someone taking care of this place since we last saw it?" Kirito asked, "I don't remember the interior being this clean."

"As a matter of fact, we were." Pence answered, surprising the team.

"When Yuuki learned about this place, she was all 'If no one is using it, let's make it a base of operation for us Twilight Knights'." Hayner explained, "Since then, we've all been working here once a week to repair the interior of the place."

"Wow..." Yui muttered.

"Forming the Twilight Knights, repairing this mansion... Yuuki working you guys hard." Kirito noticed.

"That is true..." Hayner started to agreed in a slightly exhausted tone, but Pence intervened by adding, "We really don't mind at all. She's a pretty big inspiration to us."

"Yeah. Her way of living life to the fullest, and doing everything worth doing without regrets is something we admire." Olette explained.

"We may not be able to keep up with her, but she does inspire us to go the distance in whatever we need to do." Diavel finished.

"She sounds a lot like Sora." Goofy compared, looking to the smirking Keyblade wielder.

"If he's not being a doofus." Donald bluntly added.

"Hey! Who are you calling a doofus?!" Sora demanded, sparks emanating from between Sora and Donald's glares.

"Stop it, please!" Yui got in between them, and pushed them away from one another.

Kirito shook his head at the moment, but smiled all the same. The way they described Yuuki was something he could understand. After all, before Twilight Town, Yuuki was practically hospitalized most of her life. But even then, she had no regrets on whatever she did in the virtual world. She gave her life everything she had, and she was still doing that now.

"Let's go down to the computer." Pence told the team, and he led the group to the direction to the steps down to the basement.

When they descended the steps, they found themselves walking through a door into a room that was all too familiar to the team, but extremely nostalgic to Kirito and Yui. It was Ansem the Wise's computer room, the same room where they first woke up after the man himself sent them through a dimensional portal from ALO into this one. It was the place where their journey in another dimension truly started.

"Here we go!" Pence raced to the seat of the computer, his fingers already at the keyboard as Kirito came to his side, "The password was 'sea-salt ice cream', right?" He tapped in the password, which worked, bringing up the home screen.

"That did it." Kirito stated, "Now, to activate the digital transporter..." Pence went to try and activate the transporter. However, as he tried to do that, the screen started to glow red, and the words 'DATA ERROR' popped up on a window. Multiple windows also popped up, furthering the fact that something was wrong.

"Oh, man. The transporter's been protected." Pence noticed.

"Protected from what?" Sora asked, while the others looked puzzled or shocked.

"I guess from us?" Pence assumed, "We can't use it to get to the other Twilight Town."

"Why not?" Hayner demanded, "It worked before! We sent Sora there! And we got Yuuki outta there!"

"Well that was then, and this is now." Pence argued.

"Here, let me try something..." Kirito told Pence, waving him off the seat so he could go and sit in it. He started to type away at the computer, trying every option he could think of, when Yuuki and Asuna finally arrived on the scene, seeing the group.

"Hey, guys." Yuuki greeted, "Were you waiting for us to show up before going to the other Twilight Town?"

"By the looks of it, no." Asuna noticed, watching Kirito get more errors on the screen.

"Yui, can you think of anything?" Kirito asked his daughter. She was an expert at cracking through firewalls and computer networks.

"I'm not too sure..." she answered, "If I was inside the computer system, I would be able to hack the issue, no problem. But as I am now, I can only do as much as you can, papa."

"So...is there no other way?" Diavel asked. Kirito shook his head, finding no answer to their predicament. The others looked pretty upset with this, especially Sora. His inability to find a way to return Roxas was a real punch to the gut.

Suddenly, there was a familiar ringtone. Someone was trying to call him on the Gummiphone. The team looked to Sora as he pulled out the said phone, tapping the green button on the screen. Ienzo's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Sora." He greeted the Keyblade wielder, "You wouldn't happen to be in front of a computer?"

The rest of the team was surprised as Sora answered, "Well...yeah. But how'd you know that?"

"I was tinkering with Ansem's computer; you know, to decrypt the Code that was left in it? And I noticed that someone had logged in from another terminal. I figured it might be you."

"Oh! Yeah, the log terminal." Sora feigned acknowledgment at what he was talking about.

"You don't know what he said." Donald noticed.

Sora crouched down to him as he whispered, "Oh, what, you do?"

"I know I haven't got a clue." Goofy noted, though there was no need for him to say it. Ienzo and Sachi, who were on the other side, were giggling at the trio's childish ignorance.

"He means that when we logged into Ansem's computer here, it must've placed an alert that it was being booted up over in Radiant Garden." Kirito explained, taking the Gummiphone off of Sora, "Considering I know WAY more about computers than you, I'll do the talking."

"Sure...okay!" Sora understood, realizing that it was better off in his hands anyway.

"So, does that mean you were the one who logged into the computer, Kirito?" Sachi asked, looking over Ienzo's shoulder.

"Initially, no. He did." Kirito answered, and he turned the screen to aim it at Pence.

"Oh, hi there. This is Pence." He greeted, "I'm the one who logged into the computer."

"Good." Ienzo understood, "As long as it's a user that we know we can trust."

"We definitely trust him." Kirito stated, turning the screen back to himself, "However, we've run into a situation. One of the programs on this computer is now protected, and I don't have an immediate way to activate it."

"What program?" Sachi asked.

Hayner, irritated by the constant questions and issues, angrily answered, "The transporter to the other Twilight Town! It's the only way to find Roxas. You gotta help us."

"Cool your jets, Hayner. Deep breaths." Yuuki calmed him, "Getting angry like that won't get us anywhere." Hayner looked to the sub-leader of the Twilight Knights, and breathed deeply to calm himself.

"Another Twilight Town? And a transporter?" Ienzo echoed, finding all the information intriguing, "Okay... A virtual town inside the computer, made of data."

"So it's a lot like the virtual world of SAO." Sachi understood, not realizing such a world existed apart from Tron's world.

"The datascape!" Jiminy suddenly popped out of Sora's jacket, suddenly realizing something, and turning to Donald and Goofy, who understood what he was talking about.

"Mmm-hm, we've seen one." Goofy recalled, "That's what we used to investigate Jiminy's journal."

"Maybe I can do something." Ienzo suggested, "Kirito, Pence, let's get a network set up."

"Easy enough..." Kirito answered, "Tell me your computer address."

After that, for over twenty minutes, Kirito was tapping away at the computer, establishing the network link between the two world. However, there was a lot of loading time and long, tedious program writing for both sides. Sora nearly fell asleep, even though it has only been five minutes into the work. He was awoke by Yuuki, suggesting that they might wanna go upstairs to wait. Sora agreed, and he, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, Asuna and Diavel all went upstairs, leaving the rest of the team below.

As soon as they entered the main hall of the mansion, Sora asked, "So, what do you want to do while we wait?"

Yuuki stopped and turned to Sora, answering, "I heard from Asuna that you and I should hang out. So, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sparring with me?"

Sora looked a bit surprised, looking to Donald and Goofy, before asking, "Uh, you sure?"

"Yeah!" She answered, "Truth is, after all the praise I've heard from Hayner and the gang, I really wondered how tough you would be. So, wanna go?"

"Sure. I could use some training." Sora answered, rolling his shoulder, prepared to fight.

"Be careful, Sora." Asuna warned him, "She is the strongest swordswoman in ALO. Not even Kirito and I could beat her."

"Yeah. Kirito told me..." Sora answered, who stopped loosening up himself, and smiled at Yuuki, "But if she's that strong, I gotta at least take her offer up."

Yuuki snapped her finger as she answered, "Awesome! Let's take it out to the garden!" She raced to the front door, and opened it up for the team to exit the building.

In about thirty seconds, the battlefield was set. Sora was standing closest to the door, while Yuuki was closest to the gate. Everyone else was standing on the sidelines, trying not to be within the area of combat.

"So, what are the rules of this duel?" Asuna asked Yuuki.

"It's just like back in ALO; the battle will be until someone yields or is unable to continue, and I don't mean one of us killing the other." Yuuki explained, "You can use your weapons, sword skills, techniques, magic, however you want. Course, I'll only use my sword in this fight." She summoned her sword into her hand, prepared to use it in battle.

"Just her sword?" Goofy echoed, surprised.

"That was the only thing she used in the fight against the Demon Tide." Asuna recalled.

"Alright. I'm game!" Sora declared, producing his Keyblade, and getting into his fighter's stance. Yuuki also held her sword out in her own fighter's stance.

"Diavel, give us the countdown!" Diavel followed his sub-leader's orders, and raised his hand up, as he counted down. "Three...Two...One...GO!"

Sora charged forward, and made a leaping slash at Yuuki, who parried the attack with a horizontal slash, leaving Sora vulnerable for another quick slash, causing him to go flying in pain. He crashed to the ground, where he appeared face-first into the ground.

"Wow... That was quick." Donald muttered, seeing the state he was already in.

"Yuuki must be really strong still, whereas Sora had the reset button placed on his power." Asuna noticed, "I guess the result was very—."

"I'm not done!" Sora exclaimed, and the team saw him get to his feet, downing a potion to heal his body. Yuuki had not taken one step from where she started, but was smiling confidently at Sora.

 _(Insert Sword Art Online OST 'Gunland')_

Sora pointed his Keyblade forward as he shouted, " **Fire!** " He unleashed three consecutive Fire spells at Yuuki. She was prepared for them as she unleashed a combo swing that slashed each fireball in two, destroying them before they hit her. The fireballs exploded from each slash, which was what Sora was counting on, and he dashed in with a slash, which Yuuki easily expected. She blocked Sora's Keyblade, and pushed him far away in mere seconds.

Sora gritted his teeth, finding it frustrating that he hadn't found an opening, but quickly thought on the spot. Using magic, he suddenly transformed his Hero's Origin Keyblade into his Kingdom Key, and aimed the tip towards Yuuki.

"Whoa! I didn't know you could switch Keyblades mid-battle!" Asuna gasped.

"He must've learned that trick when we weren't lookin'." Goofy assumed, watching as Sora's Keyblade shined.

" **Shotlock: Ragnarok!** " Sora shouted, unleashing his Shotlock, sending a storm of light spheres down at Yuuki, who looked surprised at the new attack. It made contact with her, consuming her in a smoke cloud. The team looked surprised at this strong damage, but Asuna and Diavel both knew this was nowhere near the end.

Sure enough, when Sora landed, he looked up, and saw Yuuki dashing straight through the smoke, coming at him with her sword tip pointing right at him. He panicked, and took a step back as Yuuki pushed forward with her left foot, thrusting her blade forward, nearly shaving off the sleeve from his jacket. He recovered, and tried slashing at Yuuki while she was close, only for her right foot to push her away just enough to get out of range.

Sora went in for a combo of slashes, trying to find an opening. Unfortunately, Yuuki was able to see and counter every strike that came at her. Her sword glowed as she unleashed her Slant Sword Skill. Sora placed his Keyblade up in defense, and there was an explosion front Yuuki's attack, causing him to go flying. He fell towards the right side of the house, where Sora's team was at. "Sora!" Donald, Goofy and Jiminy called out in a panic.

Sora rose to his feet, and used his Cure spell to heal his wounds. He looked up at Yuuki, who called out, "You okay? Kinda got you there, didn't I?"

Sora was a bit shaky on his feet, but he controlled himself. "I-It's okay. I can keep going!" He shouted back. He wiped away some beads of sweat coming down his forehead, and placed up a smile to prevent Yuuki from seeing his nervousness.

' _Kirito and Asuna weren't kidding about her. She is really, really strong!'_ He mentally told himself, ' _She's way out of my league at this point. I couldn't even touch her with my Keyblade, and my magic isn't even slowing her down! Now, I can't use magic after Cure, but that doesn't mean I have other tricks I can't pull outta my system!'_

He focused his gaze at Yuuki, and his feet sparked with magic. He performed his Airstepping technique, shooting himself straight at Yuuki in an instant, surprising her. He unleashed a kickflip, striking her in the chest, and pushing her back. He then slashed strongly at Yuuki, causing her to double-back, but to glare at Sora as he grinned.

"That's plenty enough!" He declared, his body glowing, " **Second Form!** " He transformed into his former garments.

"Whoa! A wardrobe change?!" Yuuki gasped, impressed by the transformation.

Sora landed on the ground, and charged forward, unleashing a series of slashes, all of which Yuuki parried, followed by a spiral of magic spheres, pushing Yuuki back a bit. Sora pursued with a lunge with his Keyblade, closing the gap on them. Yuuki parried the attack by sending Sora's blade to one side. However, in his quick, thinking, Sora used the momentum of his Keyblade forced to one side, spun around with it, and swung it upwards into an uppercut that caused a Ripple Drive technique, sending Yuuki tossed upwards, sending her outside the mansion's front gate.

"She pushed her up!" Asuna gasped, seeing Yuuki supposedly overwhelmed.

Yuuki suddenly flipped herself until she was upright while in midair, "Not bad. I didn't know about those kinds of moves before." She told Sora as she flew, "But...I think I'll end this duel."

Suddenly, and to the amazement of all except Diavel, Yuuki's back suddenly glowed, as the Imp symbol appeared on it, and from it, she produced her fairy imp wings, stopping herself in the air, and shooting down at Sora. "She has her wings?!" Asuna gasped in shock.

Sora leapt up at Yuuki as her blade glowed a blue hue. Sora swiped with his Keyblade, but Yuuki evaded it, and slashed at Sora's gut. She then struck his left and right side around the same level, before ending with one last slash from behind, completing the Horizontal Square Sword Skill. Sora felt the attack's complete damage, and could barely breath, and he fell to the ground.

"Oh, no!" Asuna gasped, about to race to him to save him from the fall, when she saw Yuuki follow her attack by diving down, and catching Sora around the chest. She slowly descended, making sure his feet touched the ground before she let go of him. Sora collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping for air, while the rest of the team joined their side.

"Guess I got a bit carried away..." Yuuki chuckled, rubbing the back of her head with an innocent grin.

"Heal!" Asuna shouted, and she healed Sora of his injuries with her Keyblade. Sora found it easier to breath, and after a few seconds, got to his feet.

"You nearly killed me!" He exclaimed, rubbing the slash to the front Yuuki made.

"Don't worry. I don't kill my friends." Yuuki assured him, "But still, you really put up a great effort. Great fight out there, Sora." She raised a hand to him, wanting to shake.

Sora looked to the hand, saw Yuuki's smiling face, and his tension eased up. He smiled as he answered, "Yeah. Same here." Sora agreed, taking her hand, "You are really strong, Yuuki. I couldn't keep up with you at all!"

"You struck with a few good hits there." Yuuki pointed out, "Guess exploring other worlds come with ideas of new skills, huh?"

"Even so, you still have it." Asuna pointed out, getting their attention, "Your reaction speed is still beyond amazing, and you even have your wings! How did you gain those?!" The only times she ever produced her Undine wings outside the virtual world was when Yui created a magical connection between those that are capable of flying, like the Magic Carpet in Agrabah, or who can grant the power of flight, like Palutena in Skyworld.

"They came around last month." Yuuki answered, "At some point, I ended up gaining them. I can only use them for a minute or two, but they still work like before."

"Hmm..." Goofy was thinking for a second, then suddenly recalled, "If I remember correctly, didn't Leafa also have the ability to summon her wings, too?"

"That's right!" Jiminy recalled, "If I remember right, she had them when she was in her Limit Form."

"This is making my brain hurt..." Asuna moaned, placing her hand to her forehead, "Even after all this time, I'm still trying to figure out how things work.

"Well, whatever the case, Yuuki's wings have been really useful." Diavel stated, "I mean, at one point, when we were on top of the clock tower. A gust of wind suddenly caused Vivi to fall, and she—."

"Guys!" Olette's voice called out to the group, and they turned to see her standing at the door. "Kirito said that the link should be established at any minute!"

"Alright!" Sora cheered.

"Finally!" Donald sighed in relief as the team went and rejoined the rest back down in the computer room.

When they returned, they found Hayner, Pence and Yui surrounding Kirito as he placed in one final code input, before there was a sound coming from the Gummiphone, which rested on Kirito's lap. They heard Ienzo's voice call out, "Alright. The link has been established."

Kirito gave a sigh of relief as he flexed his fingers, hearing some snapping after all the typing he had done. "Nice going, Kirito." Pence commended him.

"So, were you able to fix it?" Sora asked, as he and the others joined their side.

"Now that our two computers have been successfully networked together, I can take control of the terminal there, and change the privileges." Ienzo answered.

"And Roxas?" Sora further questioned.

"Yeah. In order for the virtual world of Twilight Town to become real, Ansem the Wise would also include Roxas's data in the construct." Sachi explained, "It's similar to how the Cardinal system created backup data for all the Players in Sword Art Online. Kayaba explained that to me."

"Wow, Sachi. I didn't know you were able to understand all that stuff in a short period of time!" Kirito commended her intelligence. She blushed at Kirito's praise.

"To put it simply, we can use the data in that terminal, and decipher Ansem's Code more quickly, AND we can analyze the virtual Twilight Town while we're at it." Ienzo finished.

"Okay, great!" Sora answered, "I can't computer, so...do that."

"You also can't speak with proper grammar, Sora." Asuna poked fun at him.

"I would like to help, but I think our skills are better off elsewhere." Kirito added, "I'll leave it to Pence to help out with the computer work on this end." Pence gave a confident nod in approval to this decision.

"Don't worry, Kirito." Sachi assured him, "You do the things only you guys can do, and leave the rest to us."

"Chip, Dale and Kayaba will be helping us out on our end, too." Ienzo added, "We'll call you back as soon as we find anything more."

"Right. I'll be counting on you guys." Kirito responded.

He was about to hang up when Ienzo spoke up, "Oh, before I forget. A bit of troubling news. It's about one of the Organization's former members. You knew him as Vexen, but to us, he was Ansem's apprentice Even. He was recompleted like the rest of us, but hadn't regained consciousness yet. Then, sometime after Lea left, Even vanished. Aeleus and Dilan, the two you knew as Lexaeus and Xaldin, they went out looking for him. We enlisted the help of the Moonlit Black Cats in the search, but he's just gone. And I'm starting to worry."

The six heroes looked to one another, then Yui asked, "You don't think he could have joined THEM, do you?"

"I think it's a real possibility." Ienzo answered, "He's a devious researcher. YOU should be careful."

"We'll look out for him." Kirito answered, and he hung up the Gummiphone, getting out of the computer chair, and handing the phone back to Sora.

"Oh no!" Hayner gasped, "We got work! I totally forgot!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Yuuki realized, "You guys were suppose to be hanging up those flyers for our client. Vivi's already ahead with completing her job, so you'd better get moving."

"Really? But what about all this?" Pence asked Hayner, waving a hand to the computer.

"Hey, both are important. We're gonna need some cash to go to the beach. Also, don't forget the pretzels. Gotta buy seven now."

Pence looked confused, counting down the list of character. Him, Hayner, Olette, Diavel, Yuuki, Vivi made up six, so the seventh one was... "Oh, I get it." He realized.

"Thinking ahead, are we?" Yuuki asked, nudging Hayner.

"Guess we'd better get a move on." Diavel understood, "Catch you some other time, Kirito."

"You too, Diavel." Kirito answered, as Diavel wandered off.

"Later, Sora!" Hayner waved goodbye to him as he started making his way to the door.

"Right. See ya, Hayner!" Sora replied.

"Bye, Donald! Goofy! Yui!" Olette told the trio, to which they all called out 'Good-Bye' to her.

"Oh, and since I'm manning the computer here, you guys're in charge of earning my share." Pence told his friends.

"No pretzel for Pence." Hayner responded, getting Olette and Diavel to chuckle, while Pence looked depressed at this.

Yuuki patted his shoulder as she said, "Don't worry. Hayner's a joker, remember? You handle the computer, and we'll handle the rest." Pence nodded in approval of this, and went to the computer.

"Let's go back to town again." Asuna decided, looking to Yuuki, "Got any places you want to show us?"

"Hmm..." the former Zekken paused before she answered, "I know just the place. The bistro!"

"Bistro?" Sora asked.

"Didn't Vivi said that rat was a worker there?" Goofy asked.

"The food is pretty incredible." Pence explained, "You won't be disappointed."

"I'll meet you guys there!" Yuuki told them, racing out the door, "Better make sure those guys are doing their job right." With that, she left the scene.

"We'd better catch up with Yuuki." Kirito told the group, and the six heroes raced out of the room, leaving Pence alone.

They had just made their way outside the mansion, and were passing the front gates, when a voice spoke up near them. A sinisterly familiar voice. "So, you think you can bring Roxas back?" The team stopped and turned to where the voice came from. Leaning on the wall next to the gate was none other than Ansem. Not 'the Wise' Ansem, but the 'Seeker of Darkness'. The Heartless of Xehanort, wearing the Organization's coat.

"Ansem!" The six heroes gasped, prepared to draw out their weapon.

There was a Dark Corridor that opened up near Ansem's position, and out came his other half. The Nobody of Xehanort, Xemnas.

"Him, too?!" Kirito gasped, seeing both Heartless and Nobody together.

"Roxas should never have existed in the first place." Xemnas told Sora, "What you seek is impossible."

"Roxas does exist." Sora retorted, "His heart's inside my heart."

"And in the unlikely event you did manage to separate the two, where is it you think you can put his heart?" Xemnas followed up.

This question did confuse the six, though Sora had an assumed answer. "Well... Roxas used to live in the other Twilight Town, right? So, I'm just gonna put him back there."

"Do you even realize what you are saying?" Ansem questioned the boy, "The other Twilight Town is just data."

"We came from a world made of data, and we were able to live there." Kirito retorted, indicating himself, Asuna and Yui, "Heck, Yui's a program, and she was made of data. But she's alive, and she has a heart. So why shouldn't Roxas be able to do the same?"

"And it's funny how you point out Roxas's non-existence, considering you two were part of the same person." Asuna pointed out, "But you two ARE together, and you both exist. So if you're capable of co-existing, Sora and Roxas can act the same way!"

"Yeah!" "I was thinkin' the same thing." "You tell 'em, Master Asuna!" Sora, Goofy and Donald all responded respectively. They turned back to the Heartless and Nobody, their glares showing their resolve will not waver, no matter what they say.

"In that case, by all means." Ansem told the sextet.

"Nothing would please us more than Roxas's return, of course." Xemnas followed.

"You wish." Sora spat, "He'll never answer to you again."

"Still so blind. A Nobody is what's left behind when one gives his heart to darkness." Xemnas explained, "There is only one way to bring Roxas back, which is for you to give up your heart up as well." He pointed at the young boy as he questioned, "Sora, have you finally decided to call upon the darkness?"

"What?!" Sora gasped. This was not a path he wished to take. However, was it the only way to return Roxas?

"Go on then. The shadows are never out of reach." Ansem coaxed Sora. He nodded to an area behind the six, and they turned to see a group of Neoshadows suddenly appear. With a wave of Xemnas's hand, Dusk Nobodies appeared alongside them. The two different species were now working together.

Sora looked at them, then at Ansem and Xemnas, who raised their hands out to Sora, and simultaneously said, "Now, set your heart free." They created their Corridors of Darkness, and vanished from sight.

"Wait!" Sora barked, about to pursue them, but Kirito stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

"We've got more important matters here!" He told him, drawing his attention to the other four as they prepared to fight the Heartless.

Sora gritted his teeth at the two enemies' words, but he produced his Keyblade as he growled, "It's not darkness. Not if it helps him!" Kirito nodded in agreement, and produced his Keyblade, and the boys joined the others in the fight.

The Neoshadows and Dusks charged forward as the six heroes launched themselves into the battle. They kept each other's backs as they avoided and blocked the strikes of the Nobody and Heartless, while unleashing all the attacks they could muster from their 'bag of tricks', so to speak.

"Guys! I got the feeling for an Attraction!" Sora shouted, backing away from a whip from a Dusk.

"Go for it, you guys!" Asuna shouted, while she, Kirito and Yui pushed back any nearby Heartless and Nobodies, as Donald and Goofy came together to join Sora.

"Let's go! **Attraction Flow: Mad Tea Cups!** " Sora raised his Keyblade high, and through magic, he summoned three large tea cups on dishes, and the three jumped into each of them, finding a place to sit on the inside. There was a rotation device in the center of it, and the trio began spinning them as fast as they could while the rides moved about the place, ricocheting off the walls and trees, striking down the Heartless and Nobodies. Kirito, Asuna and Yui all avoided the trio as they assisted them in knocking the enemies towards Sora's Attraction Flow attack.

"Bring it in!" Sora shouted as he, Donald and Goofy brought their tea cup rides together, and started grinding against one another as they spun, causing sparks to fly about them, eliminating all remaining Heartless and Nobodies that got close to them. After a few seconds, the attack stopped, and the tea cups vanished, leaving the trio remaining in the middle of an open field. There were still a few more Neoshadows and Dusks remaining, ready to fight.

"Leave this to us!" Asuna called out to the trio as she, Kirito and Yui came together. Yui produced her Keyblade as she raised it high. " **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " They shouted in unison, summoning their Soul Pacts, and transforming their Keyblades into the swords and rapier they used in SAO.

Sora, Donald and Goofy took a break as the mother, father and daughter trio went to work on striking down the monsters, unleashing their skills from the old days in their attacks. With Kirito's incredible reaction speeds, Asuna footwork, and Yui's heavy swings, the three were not able to give the enemy any open opportunities to attack.

"Time to end this!" Kirito shouted, unleashing his Finisher, Starburst Stream, summoning his Dark Repulser sword via holo-menu, and unleashing his sixteen-hit combo, clearing the enemies on one side of the area.

"You're through!" Asuna declared, unleashing her Finisher, Star Splash, unleashing her eight-hit Rapier Skill, with each strike causing a shockwave effect, and destroying the enemies around the area opposite to Kirito's side.

"I'll take care of the rest!" Yui declared, unleashing her Finisher, Program Delete, channeling a stream of intense flame around her sword, creating an orb that she brought down upon the enemies near the entrance into the forest, eliminating all of them.

With the area clear of enemies, the team gathered together, able to relax for a moment. However, Sora's mind was elsewhere. With his mind out of the battle, he thought about what Ansem and Xemnas told him. There had to be another way to free Roxas's heart from his own, other than accepting darkness into his heart. The others looked to him, worried about what he would decide to do.

Kirito stepped forward, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, causing the young man to look to him. "We'll find a way." He assured him, "There's more than one way to free Roxas."

"Right. Remember what Herc told you." Asuna reminded him.

Sora paused for a moment, and he answered, "Herc said 'With all my heart'." He looked up to the sky, with a determined expression as he finished, "Okay. Then all my heart it is. I'm getting Roxas out." He smiled at his two fellow Keyblade wielders as he finished, "Thanks, you guys." Kirito and Asuna smiled and nodded in response to this.

Suddenly, their bodies started to glow, and they felt their magic energy connecting with one another. They felt the energy go to their hands, and they held out a single palm in front of them. The magic energy leaked out of their palms, forming three circles that orbited around one another. "What's going on?" Sora asked.

"Heck if I know!" Kirito answered, surprised at the sight.

The three rings suddenly shined, and in an instant, formed four magic orbs. One flew over them, and dove into Donald. The other three went into the three Keyblade wielder's bodies.

"This feeling..." Kirito muttered, looking at his hand, and feeling the aquatic magical power, "Is this the Water spell?"

"I know this feeling." Sora noticed, feeling the cold energy, "I can use Blizzard now!"

"Same here!" Donald called out, getting the same feeling and Sora.

"And that means I have the Fire spell now." Asuna noticed, feeling the warm magic she gained, "I might be wrong, but I think the magic we had individually decided to share with one another."

"Best guess we can get, since we're not experts in how magic works." Kirito stated.

Sora looked to his hands. The magic exchange made him realize something; Even though he was gonna try and free Roxas with all his heart, he knew he would also need the help of his friends to help in his endeavor. If all their hearts became one, there was no doubt he would not only save Roxas, but all those that needed saving, too.

He turned to everyone, including Yui, Donald and Goofy, and asked, "Are you with me, everyone?"

Donald, Goofy and Yui looked to one another, and with smiling faces, they answered as one, "You betcha!"

"Like we would stop now." Kirito told him.

"Let's save Roxas, Aqua, and everyone else!" Asuna declared.

Sora's face became serious as he said, "I don't know what Ansem or Xemnas want, but I think we'd better tell the others to watch out."

"Agreed. Especially Yuuki." Kirito mentioned, "If anyone would pick a fight with them, it would definitely be her."

"Then lets head to the bistro to meet up with her and the others." Asuna decided, and she turned and led the group back into the forest again, making their way back to town once more.

They raced through the forest, before finding the entrance back into the conduits. After a minute of racing through the the underground path, they found themselves upside, and back in Twilight Town once more. They turned the corner, and made their way back to the center of town. "Now, if I remember correctly, the bistro should be around..." Kirito started, about to look about the place.

"Well, bless me bagpipes! It was YOU laddies who rescued my chef!" A voice suddenly spoke up, and drew the attention of Donald and Goofy. They looked and not only discovered the bistro, but also a familiar face. It was a person, or rather a duck they met in Radiant Garden, back when it was still under construction. In on hand, he had his walking cane. Under the other, he carried a sort of to-go box.

"It's Uncle Scrooge!" Donald squawked at the sight of one of his family.

The others looked to him as Sora asked, "Wait... Didn't he sell ice cream in Hollow Bastion?"

"Oh, yeah. He was there doing that, wasn't he?" Kirito recalled, "Leafa and Recon said they got plenty of Sea Salt ice cream from him."

"That's right." Goofy answered, "But Uncle Scrooge here's what you might call a world traveler."

"So...he has a Gummi Ship, like us?" Yui realized.

"How about that..." Asuna muttered, as Donald led the team up to his uncle.

"How are ya, Uncle Scrooge?" Sora greeted him.

"Oh! Hello, Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Yui! You're lookin' hale and hearty." Scrooge noted, looking at the four humans, "I heard ye four were on another grand adventure with these two..." He looked to Goofy and Donald at those words, "...I hope Donald isn't making a menace of himself."

Donald looked startled at those words, then grumbled, "Why did you have to say that?"

"Apart from the complaining and the insulting jabs at us, he's fine." Kirito told Scrooge.

"WHAAAT?!" Donald exclaimed angrily, causing the others to laugh at this blunt comment. They all knew it was so true.

"So, Uncle Scrooge, what's that you were sayin' about a chef?" Goofy asked him.

"Och! Right, right. The chef of me bistro here wanted to show ye his appreciation, so he baked this for ye." He held up the box to Sora and the gang, and the former took it.

"Hmm... What is it?" Sora asked, and he opened the lid on top. Inside was a large tart the size of a cake, with elegantly-patterned fruit decorating the top of it. It was clearly made by a professional pastier.

"Wow! Cake!" Sora, Donald and Goofy exclaimed as one. For some reason, something caused Scrooge's top hat to shuffle a bit, and getting the wearer's attention.

"It's not a cake. It's a fruit tart." Asuna corrected the trio, "But still, it's extremely well-made. And it's all for us?"

"It looks delicious!" Kirito exclaimed, nearly drooling at the sight of it. Yui's eyes were also dazzling at the sight of it.

Scrooge's top hat shuffled a bit again, getting the attention of both Sora and Asuna. "Aye, settle down..." the elderly duck told his hat, "The chef wants ye to know that the lass was right, but it's proper name is 'tarte aux fruits'."

"He does?" Goofy asked.

"Tarte aux fruits...if I know my languages correct, that's just the French way of calling it a fruit tart." Asuna told the others, who nodded in understanding, or in somewhat understanding for Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Why keep it under my hat?" Scrooge asked, taking his hat off, revealing a familiar face, "May I introduce...Little Chef." It was the rat that Sora and Kirito's group saved in the forest not too long ago, who hopped onto the top of Scrooge's hat, looking at the group.

"Oh! It's you!" Sora gasped, surprised to see him again.

"You know this rat?" Asuna asked, the only one in the group who hadn't met him.

"We rescued him from some Heartless." Goofy explained, "After that, we helped gather fruit for him."

"Vivi said he worked at the bistro, but I didn't think he was the chef here." Kirito muttered, amazed at this new fact.

"Uncle Scrooge, you opened a bistro in Twilight Town?" Donald questioned his uncle.

"Aye." he answered, looking at Little Chef, "It all started a little while ago, when I was enjoying one of the best meals in my life. And when I asked to speak to the chef, I met this wee genius." Little Chef placed his front paws on his hips promptly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with an air of confidence.

"As it turns out, he wanted to expand his culinary horizons." Scrooge continued, "So, I thought: that's an opportunity. And I financed the whole operation."

Little Chef turned to Scrooge, and made some signs with his hands, like he was preparing food, and handing it to someone. "Ooh, I think he wants to cook some more for ye." He understood, looking to the team, "Fortunately, I had Yuuki and Vivi go out to fetch some more ingredients for him. They should be back any second now."

"We're here!" Yuuki's voice shouted, and the team turned to see the girl herself and the black mage boy arrive on the scene, with bags filled with food in their hands.

"Hope we didn't take too long." Asuna told her, "Had to take care of some troublesome monsters."

"Aw, man! I wanted to join in on that!" Yuuki moaned, "Meanwhile, Scrooge McDuck sent Vivi and I on a scavenging run for ingredients all about the place."

"I wanted to get back to the movie theatre again..." Vivi muttered, looking worn down from all the running about.

"Hey, we have some ingredients we found in Hercules' world." Goofy recalled, "We should go get them, and bring them here!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Good! The more the better." Scrooge stated, "The mark of a truly great chef is creating masterpieces out of anything."

"Oh, we know Asuna's especially good with that." Kirito pointed out, looking to their 'master chef', "If there's anyone who's amazing at making great meals, it's Asuna. No questions asked!"

"Yeah. Mama's cooking is amazing!" Yui agreed.

"They always tasted really yummy." Goofy added, with Donald and Sora nodding firmly in agreement.

"Aw, come on, guys." Asuna blushed in embarrassment, "I'm know I mastered my cooking skills in ALO, but still..."

"But you told me you're in your technically in your avatar right now." Yuuki pointed out, "Surely that means your cooking skills came with ya." She turned to Scrooge and Little Chef as she requested, "Why don't you have her join with Little Chef in the kitchen? I can vouch for the others that she makes really great food, so with you two together, the food will be to die for!"

"Hmm..." Scrooge looked to Little Chef, who looked to Asuna, before nodding in agreement, "Looks like he's agreeing with ye. Alright then. Get the ingredients ye have on ya, and we'll start the preparations."

Asuna was guided by Scrooge and Little Chef into the kitchen, while Sora and Donald went to get the ingredients they stored in the Gummi Ship. Everyone else went inside to find a seat for everyone. What everyone was unaware of was the a person watching them from the seat furthest from where they were before, digging into a fruit tart, with her tea cup next to her dessert. She smirked mischievously after hearing what they were doing.

Asuna took the ingredients Yuuki and Vivi hand, and entered the kitchen with Little Chef on her shoulder, amazed at the professional design of the place. It looked like it came straight out of the documentaries about high-class restaurants. "This is a very nice place." She told the rat, who hopped off and went to the sink, grabbing a droplet from the faucet, and wiping his hands. He knew a professional had to have his hands clean before cooking. "I'd better do the same, too." She told him, taking off her detached sleeves, hanging them on a nearby rack for safekeeping, and washed her hands at the sink.

As soon as she dried her hands, she looked about the place, examining where all the utensils were, before placing out the ingredients they had on them already. "Right. I'd better start on the prepping." she said, looking to Little Chef, "So, what should we be making today?"

Little Chef went to an open cookbook, and shuffled through it, before pointing out a fish recipe. "Sole Meunière..." Asuna read, looking at the ingredients, "Sure, I can get started on preparing the ingredients for that." She and Little Chef began gathering the ingredients for it, before getting to work. Asuna was set on getting the fish ready, while Little Chef prepared the sauce.

As Asuna cooked, she noticed how extremely professional Little Chef was at making food, and was strong enough to even stir the pot with a wooden ladle. He was constantly sniffing at the sauce, racing to find the right ingredient, and adding just the right amount into the saucepan. He even went and, without words, showed Asuna how to make sure the fish was baked right in the saucepan, and the right kinds of seasoning to place at a certain time. Asuna was skilled herself, and Yuuki did point out one thing; her cooking skills did improve her handling in the kitchen. But it paled in comparison to this rat's skills.

Sora and Donald quickly made it back to the ship, grabbing the ingredients they found in Hercules' world, before bringing it back to the bistro. Sora chose to go into the kitchen himself, bringing in the ingredients with him.

"Wow! It smells so good in here!" Sora stated in excitement, watching Asuna and Little Chef at work, "Is the food almost ready?"

"We'll be getting one meal done, soon." Asuna told him, "I gotta say, Little Chef is a real expert. I'm learning a lot in here."

"I can't wait to try it out." Sora told her, placing the ingredients on a free spot on the table, "Well, I'll just head back and—." His words were caught off as he felt the scurrying of rat feet going up his arm. Little Chef was already done with the sauce, and was climbing up Sora, getting on top of his head. "Hey!" Sora exclaimed, as Little Chef grabbed a couple of Sora's spikes of hair, and tugged at him, causing him to stumble and move without his own control.

"What are you—?!" Asuna questioned, startled at Sora's sudden movements, as he suddenly went to the saucepan, and started stirring the sauce, "Sora, can you cook?"

"It's not me! It's him!" Sora answered, his eyes looking up at Little Chef, who was controlling Sora's arms by the spikes of his hair.

"He can control you by your hair?!" Asuna questioned in shock, "I never knew that was possible. But then again, we have experienced plenty of weird things." She giggled as she took the pan of fish off the stove, and gently slid the fish onto a plate she had ready next to her, adding in, "Well, I guess your hairstyle can be used for something..."

"So you're gonna make me cook?" Sora whined as he looked up at Little Chef, who was too focused on making sure the sauce was right. As soon as he was done, he made Sora take the saucepan, and carefully drizzled it on top of the fish, which Asuna positioned as instructed. She and Sora then placed little garnishes here and there to complete the dish, before placing it underneath the warming lights.

"Looks like we're gonna need your help on getting the dishes ready." Asuna told Sora, "Ready to help us out?"

Sora looked pretty disgruntled at being controlled like this, but after a few seconds, he replied, "Well, I really, really want to try out the food you guys are making. I guess I'll lend a hand...literally." His hand was raised in a wave, which was done by Little Chef.

"Alright." Asuna answered, wiping her hands with a free towel, before looking to the head chef, "So what's next on the menu?" Little Chef scratched his chin, looking to the extra ingredients, coming up with many ideas.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, the rest of the heroes, along with Yuuki, Vivi, and Uncle Scrooge were busy chatting with one another, with Yuuki talking a lot about the things she told Asuna, while Kirito, Donald, Goofy, Yui, and Jiminy told their side of the story involving their adventures.

There was a ring at the bell, and the group heard Hayner call out, "Hey, guys!" They turned to see Hayner, Olette, and Diavel join them.

"You guys made it." Kirito greeted them as they approached the table, mainly to Uncle Scrooge.

"You guys completed your tasks?" Diavel asked Yuuki and Vivi.

"Of course!" The sub-leader answered, "We don't slack off if there's still work to be done. It's in the code of the Twilight Knights." Vivi nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which..." Hayner started, looking to Scrooge, "We're done with the posters, boss." The name they gave to Scrooge confused the heroes.

"Aye, good work, kids." He commended them.

"You guys work for Uncle Scrooge here at the bistro?" Goofy asked them.

"Um, do we?" Hayner asked, confused.

"Not exactly..." Diavel corrected them.

"He gave us a short job putting up these special posters." Olette explained, unfurling a spare poster, which was a movie poster, with a picture of Mickey Mouse sitting on a giant's hand. However, the Mickey on the poster looked like the version they met in the black and white past world. The title on top was strange, as it was titled 'Mickey & Sora in Giantland'. The name puzzled the group. When did Sora end up in a movie?

"Mr. McDuck's hosting an open-air film festival in the courtyard. Cool, huh?" Olette explained.

"It's the best thing in the world!" Vivi exclaimed, "I often heard of movies, but I didn't even see one before. Now, I go over there whenever I have the allowance."

"Do you guys have that phone on you?" Olette asked the group, pointing towards what Kirito noticed was a QR Code on the corner of the poster, "If you hold your phone up to the poster, you can download a promo game for the film, and try it at your leisure."

"Nice! I didn't know those things were still about." Kirito noticed. In his timeline, QR Codes were no longer a thing.

"You did all this, Uncle Scrooge?" Donald asked his uncle.

"Of course, laddie." he answered harshly, startling Donald, "Provide a bit of entertainment, and then give folks a nice, cozy place to relax. Like me bistro here." He pointed at the window, where the name 'Le Grand Bistrot' was spelled in reverse due to the side they were facing.

"They'll all be happy, an' hungry, an' eager to spend their money." Scrooge chuckled mischievously at the last words.

"Uncle Scrooge..." Donald sighed, knowing his uncle's 'money-grubby' personality.

"Gawrsh, he sure is canny." Goofy noted, "I always wondered how he keeps customers comin' into his businesses over and over."

"And here I thought Liz was the greediest and most cunning business person I knew as a friend..." Kirito muttered, "But if she would compete with Uncle Scrooge, she would lose big time."

"This is why we make sure to stay on his good side." Yuuki added in a warning tone. The others laughed, making words of agreement to her warning. Fortunately, Scrooge was too busy in his mischievous mindset to hear what she said.

"Sorry for the wait!" Asuna called out to the team, and they turned and became awed in amazement. Asuna and Sora had two rolling trays filled with food coming towards them. It drew the attention of many of the customers in the room.

"Little Chef went all out with creativity." Sora noted, "And he made me realized how tough it is to cook!"

They placed out dishes of soup for all who were at the table, which meant Hayner, Olette and Diavel didn't have any, along with the appetizers and the fish dishes. "For the soup, we have a nice Consommé." Asuna explained, "For our appetizer, we have some Mushroom Terrine. And for our main course, we have some Sole Meunière to share. And for dessert, we not only have the Tarte aux Fruits Little Chef gave us, but we even made Chocolate Mousse."

"Wow!" the team gasped at the sight of it all.

"Dig in! And save some for us!" Sora added, getting an elbow from Asuna.

"We made some on the side for us, remember?" She whispered, "Don't get greedy." Sora rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Everyone dug into the meal, giving high praise for the food. "This soup is incredible!" "Gawrsh, I love this Terry-stuff." "The fish is so good! And the sauce compliments it so well!" "I feel like we truly are eating at a five-star restaurant..."

"Asuna, you really outdone yourself." Kirito complimented his girlfriend, taking a large bite of the Mushroom Terrine he placed on his small plate, "I mean, I love your cooking before, but this...!"

"Honestly, I was stunned at Little Chef's amazing cooking skills." Asuna complimented the head chef, "He taught me some new techniques and skills in the kitchen, so I can use them in the kitchen on our ship, too."

"I can't wait!" Yui exclaimed, taking the last sips of her soup, "And I really want to try that Chocolate Mousse, too!"

"Aye, and it looks like ye might have some more work to do around here." Scrooge pointed out, indicating the customers that started to order from the waiters and waitresses the stuff they were serving to their friends.

"Sora, let's get back to the kitchen." Asuna told him, "I think Little Chef might need our help." Sora nodded in agreement, and went to join the head chef back in the kitchen to help create the meals.

"Oh, by the way..." Yui realized, remember something Sora wanted to do, and turning to the Twilight Knight crew, "We have to warn you about something."

"What about?" Yuuki asked, swallowing a bit of the fish.

"It's the Heartless, and the white creatures called the Nobodies." Kirito explained, "They might turn up again in this town, so be careful. You know full well how dangerous they can be."

"It's not a problem for us." Yuuki told him, looking to Vivi, Diavel and the rest, "But we'll keep an eye out for trouble. Right, guys?"

"Sure. But don't we have you guys to take care of 'em for us?" Hayner asked, looking at the heroes.

Olette suddenly placed the pieces together and asked, in a saddened tone, "You have to leave again?" Kirito nodded in response.

"It's our job." Donald told them.

"But we'll definitely be back." Goofy assured them.

"Asuna would throw a fit if we didn't." Kirito joked, looking to Yuuki.

"We'll hold the fort down here." she assured him, "Leave it to the Twilight Knights to protect our town. Meanwhile, you guys do whatever it is you need to do."

"Sure." Kirito answered, smiling at her, "And when we get a bit stronger, let's have a rematch. I haven't shown you all the tricks I've learned."

"You AND Asuna. I wanna make sure I fight both of you." Yuuki told him, pointing a knife at him, "Don't hold back on me, okay? I'll keep training to make sure I don't lose to either one of you."

"Trust me. We won't hold back." Kirito replied, raising his own knife, and tapping Yuuki's, signaling their declaration to fight one another again. Everyone else watched the pair, seeing the friendship they had with each other, and the promise for the match to come soon between them.

* * *

It was about an hour later until Sora and Asuna were finally allowed to leave the kitchen. They were slightly worn from the cooking they had to do fast and efficiently. Fortunately, Scrooge had a couple of chefs ready to come in at that timeto help them in their place. However, thanks to their efforts, the bistro ended up getting a star ranking increase. At this point, all but Yuuki left the heroes sides to go back home, saying they had some homework to do.

"Ha! Me bistro's future is lookin' bright." Scrooge told Sora and Asuna as the seven heroes stood outside the restaurant, "The new recipes are a smash. Those ingredients of yours must really have got Little Chef's gears a turnin'. Soon, we'll be chasin' customers away! Keep up the good work." He handed the two chefs a red-ribboned box, which Asuna took with Sora's insistency.

"We try. Right, Asuna?" Sora asked, smiling at the girl in question.

"Thank Little Chef's instructions." Asuna added, "I had a really fun time working in the kitchen! We should head back her to cook with him again."

"Yeah. I betcha we'll find more ingredients if we go to different worlds." Goofy pointed out.

"Let's head back here when we have a lot of them!" Sora told the team, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, take care of yourselves." Scrooge told them, and he walked back into the bistro once more, leaving the team alone.

"Well, I'm stuffed." Kirito sighed in relief, turning away from the bistro as the team walked back to their ship.

Asuna unveiled the present they got from Scrooge, and discovered a ring inside. "A special accessory of sorts?" she asked.

"I think that might be a Gourmands Ring." Jiminy inspected the ring, "I heard it can give you better skills in the kitchen if you wear it while cooking."

"I never heard of a ring giving you improved cooking skills, but I'll take it." Asuna chuckled, pocketing the ring until the next time she came back here again.

"I'll walk you guys back." Yuuki told them, as they were about to make their way to the hill up to the clock tower.

"You took your sweet time, keeping a cute girl like me waiting." A voice suddenly spoke up. Out of the shadows of the Moogle shop, the heroes suddenly saw a girl slowly walk up and in the path between them and the hill. She was new to them, but it was the same, dark-coat, well-endowed girl with lavender hair that had been watching them from afar. The one who was bossing around Pete and Maleficent.

"Who is that?" Yuuki asked.

"I dunno." Donald answered.

"She's wearing a black coat." Sora noticed, getting into a fighter's stance, "Do you think she could be...?"

"No. Her coat is different from the Organization." Kirito answered, his eyes narrowing at the girl, "But this feeling...she definitely is potent with darkness."

"My daddy gave me approval to finally introduce myself to you." She told the team, "I gotta say, you did a good job dealing with all that trouble in that Greek town before. You put on quite the circus performance." The team looked to one another, realizing she must've been talking about Thebes in Olympus. Was she there? They didn't see her.

"Who are you?" Asuna demanded, "You obviously are no friend of ours."

"With putrid light-hearted fools like you? I would never." She answered, "My name is Tears. My daddy is making sure to take care of gathering the darkness of the worlds, in order to get what he desires. But you so called 'Guardians of Light' are getting in the way of my daddy's goals."

"Your daddy?" Yui asked, confused.

"Oh, there is no need for you to know him, just yet." Tears told them, summoning a large, black claymore with a jagged magenta scar going down it, "All you need to know is who you are dealing with right now." The team produced their weapons, ready to fight this mysterious new girl in front of them.

"But first, I think I might need to introduce to you some of my daddy's toys." She told them, and she snapped her free finger. All of a sudden, Shadows suddenly appeared from the darkness, not from the ground like they usually did, but from miniature black portals. What's more, they all were quite different from the normal Shadow. Each of their left arms and claws were not normal, but totally covered in a dark metal, making them look robotic.

"Heartless?!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed. Citizens began running away in a panic, not wanting to get involved with the monsters that suddenly appeared.

"But wait. Their arms..." Kirito noticed, looking at the robo-arms, "How come they are now made of metal?"

"Let's figure that out later!" Sora answered, readying to fight with his Keyblade.

The seven fighters charged in, and attacked the the Shadows with all they had. Their new cybernetic arms did change the way they fight. Not only did they have improved defenses with their metal limb, but the strikes they made with the claw was a bit tougher than usual. It was a bit more challenging than the usual common Heartless, but the worst was yet to come.

Six Soldier Heartless suddenly appeared, and like their brethren, they had robotic limbs; a metal claw, just like the Shadows, and a sort of cybernetic feet that had rocket-propelled boosters on the back, causing their propellor kicks to become that much more lethal and continuous. The heroes struggled, but they managed to take down the menaces before they had a chance to beat them.

When they were done, they turned to Tears, who seemed a bit bored from watching them. "What were those Heartless?!" Sora demanded.

"They don't look or feel like the same kinds of Heartless we knew and still hated." Kirito pointed out.

"Enough questions. I just wanted to see you guys struggle." Tears sighed, "But it didn't seem enough fun to watch you guys..." She raised her claymore off the ground, and readied herself to fight, "...I'll just have to have a little fun toying with you guys instead."

"Bring it!" Sora declared, charging at the girl.

"Sora!" "Hold on!" Asuna and Kirito tried to stop him, but he was already close enough to attack. He went in for the strike, but Tears already slammed her claymore down on Sora's Keyblade, forcing it out of his hands, before unleashing another upward slash that sent him careening into the wall, creating a crater with his body. The attack was really powerful, and he collapsed to the ground, barely alive.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed, seeing their buddy harmed badly.

"So strong...!" Kirito said in a shocked tone, turning to Tears, who held her claymore over her shoulder, readying a palm forward. Suddenly, dark energy boulders suddenly formed above the heroes, and Kirito was the first to notice. "Move!" He shouted, and they all tried to escape the attack. Unfortunately, Donald and Goofy both ended up cascaded by the attack, and found themselves trapped underneath pile of dark boulders.

"Donald! Goofy!" Yui cried, seeing them.

"Pathetic..." Tears sighed, "Are you really so troublesome, that witch and her fat cat had to warn us about facing you?"

"Witch? Fat cat?" Yuuki asked, confused.

"I think that might be Maleficent and Pete!" Asuna realized, "She must be working for them!"

"FOR them?" Tears gave a pompous, rich girl-like laugh at this statement, "Oh, please. She owes my daddy for saving their lives. THEY work for US!" Her blade glowed a dark purple, and with a swing of her blade, she unleashed a crescent shockwave that came at Kirito and Asuna, who were in front of Yuuki and Yui. The two placed their Keyblades up in defense to this attack. The attack collided with them, and they were sent flying with a scream, soaring over Yuuki and Yui, who were in shock at how easily all of their friends were being beaten.

"No..." Yui muttered, seeing her parents taken down so easily by this new girl. She looked to Donald and Goofy, with the dark boulders still holding them down. Sora struggled to get back up, but he slipped and fell down again. This girl was far beyond their capabilities to defeat.

"My daddy told me not to kill you guys. Said he needed you around a bit more." Tears spoke up, drawing her attention again, "But I guess killing off one or two of your lights won't make a difference." She pointed at Yuuki as she added, "Yours, particularly, shines way too bright to exist. I'd better take you down, right now!"

She made charge forward, and swung her claymore at both Yui and Yuuki. The latter came in, her sword glowing as she countered with a Slant Sword Skill. The collision caused a major shockwave to blast around the surrounding area, creating cracks on walls nearby them, and even send the dark boulders flying off Donald and Goofy, making them fly, too.

Yui managed to brace herself against the intense shockwave, and looked up to see Yuuki actually struggling against Tears's strength. She had actually skidded quite a bit from where she started, but Yuuki held her ground. "You're...pretty strong..." she grimaced.

"Well now. Someone who can actually hold her own against my attacks." Tears huffed, "But I wonder how long you can hold it?" She pressed her claymore harder into Yuuki's sword, nearly making her fall.

"Yuuki!" Yui shouted, unleashing her Tornado, causing Tears to fly away from the pair. She landed neatly on her feet as she glared at Yui. "Why you little..." she started, but she stopped. The moment the pair locked eyes with one another, their hearts suddenly made a loud beat. A sense of familiarity suddenly came across the both of them, as they looked at one another. Tears dropped her claymore, as she grasped her heard. She suddenly gained a splitting headache from this sudden sensation. She grimaced and yelped in pain a couple times. Yui wasn't getting this same feeling, but watched Tears as she struggled. This gave enough time for everyone else to slowly recover and get to their feet again.

"What's wrong with her?" Yuuki asked, bewildered by this sudden change.

Tears slowly recovered, but was panting from exhaustion from fighting this headache. One of her hands covered one of her eyes, but her other was staring at Yui, petrified at the sight of her. "You...who are you...?" She questioned quietly. She paused as she saw everyone else get back up again, then gritted her teeth, about to feel another headache coming on at the sight of Yui. She created a Corridor of Darkness, and slipped into it, vanishing from sight.

"What just...happened?" Asuna asked, walking towards the group.

Sora used Cure to heal himself and the others, as he stated, "I don't know what happened, but she really looked like she was in a lot of pain."

"She looked like she had a headache." Donald noticed.

Kirito looked to Yui as she continued to stare at the spot Tears disappeared to. "Yui...are you okay?" He asked, concerned for his daughter.

"I-I'm okay..." she stammered, looking to her parents, then back at the spot again, "But that girl, Tears...I feel like I know her."

The news surprised the group, as they looked to Yui, then at the spot Tear vanished. "Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"You sure you weren't imaginin' it?" Goofy asked, "Cause I don't remember ever seein' her before."

"No, it was before we met." Yui corrected him, "But...I don't remember when or where we met."

"If it was before we met, then..." Kirito started.

"Could Tears be from our world?" Asuna realized, "But when? Where?"

"I don't know. But I know one thing..." Kirito finished, glaring up at the sky, "If what Tears said is true, we might be dealing with more than just the Organization now. We might be looking at a new group of villainy." Everyone looked up at the at the sky as well, acknowledging that fact. There was a new group of enemies to deal with, and if Tears was anything to go by, they will be a tough group to beat in their current state.

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Green Square! Beat Heartless...With Dance?!**


	6. Green Square! Beat Heartless with Dance?

**Music to play in the world:**

 **Passive Music: (Dancebeat: Heartbeat Dance Remix~)**

 **Battle Music: ('Shrouding Dark Cloud' Kingdom Hearts III Ver.)**

* * *

 **Unknown World**

 _"_ _I'm sorry I left without saying good-bye. Did Master Yen Sid tell you? I'm training to become a Keyblade wielder like you. That's right. No more waiting for you to come back from your adventures. I want to get out there and do my part to help. Merlin has used his magic to bring us to a place where time doesn't matter. We can take as long as we need to complete our training. He's an amazing wizard. And for the three teachers Gretinal sent, they have helped us make great strides in our training as well. If it weren't so tough at times, I almost feel like we were pampered."_

 _"_ _Oh, and by 'we', I mean me, Leafa and Lea. He's really sorry for all the trouble he caused. I told him it's fine, but he won't stop apologizing. I'll admit I was a little scared of him at first, but I've gotten to know him better. Leafa also made sure to ease things up when she arrived. She seemed to have gained a special bond with Lea even in the short time she met him back before, and I can tell, those two have only gotten closer as we've trained. At times, I kinda feel like a third wheel here, but they always welcome me into their moments."_

 _"_ _Every now and then, I catch Lea staring at me. When I ask what's wrong, he says 'I'm not sure. I think I'm forgetting something. Don't know what.' Leafa teased him about it at first, but even she could see this was something important to him. Sora, I think it may have something to do with you."_

 _"_ _Your journey is all about helping people: some that you've never met before, and some like Lea and Leafa that you have. They're all counting on you, Kirito and Asuna. It won't be easy, but I hope you'll remain the happy and cheerful Sora I know. There's no heart your smile can't reach."_

Sitting on a rock near a cliff, with nothing but the forest surrounding all about her, Kairi, a Princess of Heart and a cherished person of Sora's, was writing in her journal, smiling as she was reading everything she wrote down. It had been a while since she wrote something in it, and it was a letter to Sora. All her feelings she had, as well as all the thoughts on her mind, she decided to write down on the sets of papers before her.

She stopped as she sensed eyes gazing upon her. She looked up, and saw the person she wrote about next to him, Lea, who was also known as Axel when he was a Nobody.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

"Huh? Nothin', sorry." Lea answered, turning away, trying to brush off the moment.

"Lea…" Kairi verbally prodded.

"What? I am." He defended.

"You were staring at her for a reason." Leafa, also known as Suguha Kirigaya, Kirito's cousin, wandered out from the woods, having watched the scene as she arrived.

"What? You ganging up on me or somethin'?" Lea asked, walking over and sitting on a rock next to Kairi. The two girls giggled as Leafa joined the pair.

"Writing a letter?" Leafa asked, peering over Kairi's shoulder.

"Yep." She answered.

"To Sora?" Lea asked.

"Mmm, technically yes. But I won't send it. It's more for me."

"Ask Merlin. He'll deliver it for you." Lea suggested.

"I'm even sure Dreamcast and the others could do it, too." Leafa added.

"Yeah, but it's okay." Kairi assured the pair, "I just like talking to Sora, even if it's on paper."

"Okay…" Lea understood…sort of, but turned to Leafa as he asked, "You doing okay with your training?"

"Yeah. It's still pretty tough, but I think I need that discipline after the epic fail I made during the Mark of Mastery." Leafa looked down at her hands, thinking back to how she got tricked so easily during that time, nearly becoming a vessel like Sora did for Xehanort. The fact that she got tricked so easily, and that they used a fake Recon to fool her, did a real damage on her pride.

"Hey, at least you're still okay, like Sora." Kairi reminded her, "Besides, you're getting better. And Gretinal said those new clothes you got will help you with controlling your powers."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't wear them just yet." Leafa retorted, "I wanna make sure I can at least use the Power of Bonds without needing the clothes. So far, it's hard to do it on command…"

"Well, I know what'll cheer us up." Lea told the trio, and he dug into a magic satchel in his back pocket, pulling out three sea-salt ice cream bars.

"Ice cream? Really?" Kairi asked, amazed, while Leafa mentally questioned how and where he pulled them from.

"Yeah, I asked Merlin to pick these up." Lea explained, "Ya know, we did both summon Keyblades. And Leafa is at least awoken to the Power of Bonds. Gotta celebrate."

"You're sweet, Lea." Kairi answered, taking her ice cream.

"Thank you, Axel." Leafa answered, "Oh, and by the way, I would much rather you called me Suguha, instead."

"Why? I already had your name Leafa memorized." Lea pointed out, "It's you who should call me Lea."

"True, but one, I had the name 'Axel' memorized instead. And two, more than half of my name is your real one. Kinda feels weird."

Lea sighed, shaking his head at this, then responded, "Fair point. But Suguha doesn't exactly roll off my tongue as easily as Leafa does."

"Hey, I like my real name, thank you!" Leafa barked.

Kairi laughed at the two, getting their attention. "What's so funny?" They asked together.

"Nothing. It's just…it's fun watching the two of you like this." She answered, looking at her ice cream, "You bicker from time to time, but it's not like you hate each other. It's kind of the opposite, in fact."

Lea and Leafa looked at one another, realizing what she was getting at, before looking away, blushing. They really didn't want to say anything that would add more fuel for Kairi to use. They did get pretty close, even though they met as enemies the first time, and it wasn't a long time ago, either. And there was a huge gap between when Axel perished from saving Sora, Leafa and the others, and when he and everyone else saved her and Sora during the Mark of Mastery. They didn't get a lot of time together to really talk or get to know one another. Although, they were starting to make up time during the training here.

Considering a lot of time passed since she arrived here to train with Axel and Kairi, Leafa was starting to get comfortable around the red-haired, ex-Nobody. And although her focus was making sure she was able to be strong enough to also save Recon, she couldn't help but feel that Axel was just as special to her, too. But she wasn't sure if it was going as far as what Kairi might be hinting at.

Axel wasn't sure either. Sure, she felt a lot like Roxas and Sora, mainly due to the fact that they were dimensional counterparts. Though recently, he started to realize how pretty Leafa was, and how charming of a girl she was. Suddenly having a heart again made him confused on his emotions.

As Leafa started to eat her ice cream, Lea looked away from her and back to Kairi, his thoughts starting to get vague again. Something about her reminded him of something. Of someone. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he should know someone else. Someone important.

"What's wrong?" Kairi noticed he was staring again.

"N-Nothing, I just…" Lea started.

"Trying to remember what you forgot again?" Leafa finished his sentence, having heard this several times.

"Well, I, uh… Yeah… Yeah." Lea looked off towards the sunset, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

The two girls looked to one another, then back at Lea. They knew what he had forgotten was bothering him, but every time they try to prod the question, he seems to brush it off. They didn't want him to get angry, so they decided to let the subject go to keep the peace.

"So tomorrow…" Kairi started, waving her ice cream bar like a sword, "The three of us in the ring. You guys ready?"

"Absolutely." Leafa answered, grabbing the stick of his bar in two hands like a kendo stick, accepting the challenge, "Let's toughen each other up."

"Course." Lea answered, still staring out into the sun.

"Don't hold back, Lea. Promise?" Kairi requested.

Lea turned to Kairi, and was stunned. For a slight second, as the sun shined brightly down on all of them, he saw, in replace of Kairi, someone else standing there with her sea-salt ice cream. A girl with short black hair, blue eyes, and wearing an Organization's coat. He was so stunned, he dropped his ice cream. Before he realized it, tears fell from his eyes. A sense of missing the person before him flooded his heart.

Leafa and Kairi were startled at the sight of him crying. "Huh? Are you okay? Lea!" Kairi asked, the two coming closer to him as he wiped away his tears.

"Yeah…sorry…" he answered, sniffing a bit from the sudden flood of emotions.

"Why were you crying? Did you remember something?" Leafa asked, concerned for Axel.

"J-Just something in my eyes." He answered, looking away from the girls. He stood up and said, "I'm…gonna go. Sorry."

He was about to start when Kairi answered, "Kay, but stop apologizing."

"And don't hold back your emotions around us." Leafa added, "You're a person now, so act like it, Axel."

Lea huffed a chuckle at the two's requests. And he looked back at the two, replying, "Fine…on two conditions." He looked to Kairi, "Call me Axel from now on…" Then to Leafa, "…and let me call you Leafa. Got it memorized?" He poked a finger to his temple at his catchphrase of a question.

Kairi nodded as she answered, "Yeah. Okay, Axel."

"Yeah…I got it memorized." Leafa answered, mimicking the same movement as Axel. With that, the man left the two girls, walking back into the forest, leaving his fallen ice cream on the ground. Leafa looked down at it, then up at Axel as he vanished into the shadows of the trees. She was worried, not just for what he was feeling, but also what he had just seen in that moment that made him cry.

* * *

 _(Insert Persona 5 DSN 'GROOVY' Opening ver.)_

 **Music intro (Time for some fun. Let's start the trickster game.)**

( _Six spotlights turn on one at a time, showing the silhouettes of the six main heroes, all in Dance Stage attire. They dip their hands down, before slowly raising them up to the center of the stage.)_

 **It's showtime!**

 **Let's get going!**

 **Ain't it some fun**

 **Taking a chance, or even two?**

 _(Screen shifts to Sora, Donald and Goofy dancing, each demonstrating their dance styles, before coming together and dancing together, before Goofy accidentally steps on Donald's foot, causing him to yelp and glare angrily at him.)_

 **There's no guideline for doing it your way,**

 **Let's just focus now**

 **On what lies ahead.**

 _(Kirito appears on screen dancing first, followed by Asuna, coordinating her moves with his. Then Yui squeezes between the two, dancing in front with her parents mimicking her from behind.)_

 **Time to get ready**

 **Cuz we're taking over here.**

 **(Wake up, get up, get out there!)**

 _(A swarm of High Crowd Heartless, gathered together, with Tears and Pete standing in front of them, their attire shifting from their normal to a dark dance attire. They stomped the ground, creating black, red and violet shockwaves that cracked the ground, aiming towards the Sword Art Kingdom III symbol, only to be stopped by a the heroes leaping through the symbol, slamming on the ground to create a counter shockwave.)_

 **Come on let's be honest, right?**

 _(Sora and Yui in front start to dance together.)_

 **You've been waiting for us 'til now.**

 _(Kirito and Asuna, who stand outside and on either side of them, join in their dance.)_

 **Here we are, and things are**

 _(Donald and Goofy, standing on the very outside of the group, join in the dance.)_

 **Gonna get freaking hot and wild!**

 _(The dance energy sweeps across the floor, causing the Heartless to vanish, and for Pete and Tears to be sent flying, and the scene goes white.)_

 **So can you feel the Jazz?**

 _(A spotlight shines on a red stage as Sora shows off his parkour.)_

 **Or the beautiful Ballet?**

 _(The stage turns pink as Yui shows off her hip-hop dancing.)_

 **How about a Tango?**

 **Or maybe some Rock'n'Roll?**

 _(Stage turns light blue as Asuna shows off her street jazz, then shifts to dark blue as Donald demonstrates his swag dance style.)_

 **We'll bring it all to you**

 _(Stage turns gold as Kirito unleashes his breakdancing.)_

 **And guess what, you signed up for**

 _(Stage turns green as Goofy shows off he Freestyle Disco.)_

 **Team A-W-E-S-O-M-E**

 **Just say it, you don't need lame, pretty tunes.**

 _(Goofy is joined by the rest of the group, dancing together before coming together to strike a group pose.)_

 **Music moment**

 _(With every note, silhouettes of characters who will dance with them flash by.)_

 **Send BORING back to nowhere**

 **Come in for the whole deal, yeah**

 _(Philia, Flair and Hinata as a dance team, showing off their vogue and house dance style before striking a group pose. The spotlight shines brighter, blinding the screen.)_

 **Music moment**

 _(The camera zooms out as the six heroes are dancing in separate parts of the stage.)_

 **You know you wanna be here**

 **Part of this show that's**

 **Gonna change your world**

 **Let's rock!**

 _(Camera further zooms out to show off the Swiftline Gummi Ship flying in a multi-colored sky filled with music notes and bars, soaring off towards the next world, which changes into a disco ball. It spins horizontally, revealing the SAKIII logo, with music notes popping at the last notes of the song.)_

* * *

"Heartless with robotic parts..." Gretinal questioned the group.

"That's right." Jiminy answered, on Sora's shoulder as the heroes surrounded the crystal.

"You don't sound too surprised about this." Asuna noticed.

They had just left Twilight Town, and were back flying about in their Gummi Ship again. After discussing with one another, they decided to contact Mistress Gretinal on the Swiftline's crystal communicator, and explain to them about the unusual encounter involving Tears and the Heartless she summoned at them. They did plan to contact King Mickey before, but they instead contacted Kayaba, who was still on the Gummiphone. The reason of this was mainly due to what Yui said about what she felt after meeting Tears.

"A young woman that Yui believed she met before you arrived in this dimension does sound quite far-fetched, but not impossible." Kayaba noted, "Exactly why do you believe you know this young lady?"

"I'm not quite sure..." the mental health counselor answered, "It's like...the moment I made eye contact with her, my heart suddenly ached. I felt a sense of longing to meet her again, but I don't know why."

"You mean, she was someone who you knew before, and you were friends with her?" Kirito asked, confused, "But I don't even remember seeing anyone like that in that world. Did you, Asuna?" His girlfriend shook her head at this.

Kayaba was deep in thought for a moment, then muttered, "I may not be of any help if it involved someone after Sword Art Online was cleared, but...maybe if you could use the Gummiphone, and take a photograph of her. I might make a cross-reference with my database on all known SAO survivors and revived ones."

"We'll try to get something for you..." Kirito answered, not sure how they would go about doing that without her getting the jump on them.

"But back to what I was saying..." she said, looking to Gretinal, "...you seem to have some sort of understanding about the Heartless. Am I wrong?"

"...No, Asuna. Your observation is on point." Gretinal answered, "As a matter of fact, I know about Tears, and the Heartless you spoke of." This bit of news surprised the group.

"For how long?" Donald asked.

"Let's see...I'd say around the time your Keyblades brought Disney Castle to this dimension."

"That long?!" Yui exclaimed.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Kirito demanded, "And why didn't we ever see them?!"

Gretinal looked serious as she replied, "Because I had someone investigating them while you weren't watching. I learned more about their existence through her."

"Her?" Goofy echoed.

"You might meet her in due time, along with her companions..." Gretinal assured them, "While you were dealing with the Unversed and Heartless, led by Oberon, I had my assistant learn about the existence of the beings I am dubbing, 'Cyber Heartless'."

"Cyber Heartless..." Yui echoed, looking to the others, who weren't sure what they were, either.

"From what we discovered, it seems they were being made by this 'daddy' of Tears. His name is Dr. Nagamiya Tenma, a brilliant scientist in robotics. At some point, his heart became corrupted, and he is not only able to control the Heartless, but implant robotic parts onto them."

"He's able to weaponize Heartless with mechanics?!" Kirito questioned, amazed at this capability.

"Not only that, but I've even seen signs of him trying to implant beings with the darkness of Heartless, seemingly fusing them together to form Dark Hybrids. He is a genius, if not a very sinister man. And what's more, it seems that he is gathering allies to help him in his schemes."

"Just like Maleficent way back when..." Sora recalled, looking back to his first adventure when he got the Keyblade. Characters like Ursula, Hades, Jafar, and even Riku, were amongst her following.

"This Tenma definitely sounds like a much tougher opponent than what we had to deal with so far. Especially if he is able to have Maleficent under his rule." Kirito noted, glaring determinately at Gretinal, "So, what's our plan of action to stopping him?"

"Right now, we are unsure of his main base of operations." Gretinal explained, "However, I know that he, Tears and those that serve him seem to be looking for darkness, and siphoning it into data."

"Turning darkness into data?" Kayaba questioned, finding a scenario like this far too familiar. It reminded him of the bugs inside Jiminy's Journal, and what almost happened when they were gathered up.

"I do not know what they plan to do with it, with Dr. Tenma AND the Organization at our necks, we need to combat their darkness with powerful lights."

"But we're still trying to get stronger in order to awaken Aqua, and find the other Guardians of Light." Asuna pointed out.

"I'm not speaking about that, but you are on the right track." Gretinal told her, looking to the spiky-haired Keyblade wielder, "Sora, answer me this question. What was Maleficent's plan when you were sealing the world's Keyholes during your first adventure?"

"Maleficent's plan?" Sora asked, confused. He pondered a bit, before answering, "She was trying to consume worlds in darkness... Oh! And she was trying to find the Princesses of Heart."

"Exactly. Seven Princess of Heart. Seven lights that would replace one of you should you not find all the Guardians." Gretinal noted.

"Well, too late for one of them, since Kairi is a Princess of Heart AND a Guardian." Kirito noted.

"Wait a moment." Asuna interrupted everyone, "Seven lights...but there are suppose to be eleven now."

"Correct. With the information that was hidden in this dimension now in the hands of Xehanort, he is now able to rectify his mistake, and add more darkness to his side, as we are adding more Guardians of Light to our own."

It took a little while, wondering what Gretinal was getting at, before Goofy suddenly realized what she was trying to clue them on. "I got it!" He exclaimed, "If eleven lights are needed to created the X-Blade, then won't that mean that there should be Eleven Princesses of Heart, too?"

Donald squawked in total surprise, while Yui gasped, "You're absolutely right! We only know seven princesses, but that still leaves four more to be discovered!" Everyone looked to her, realizing that this fact was in their face, and they didn't even figure it out until now.

"The Lost Princesses of Heart." Gretinal dubbed the title, "Those four lights are currently scattered about in this dimension, though they might not even be princesses. And what's more, they have no idea how brightly their hearts shine, or how much danger they are in, with the darkness looming over the horizon."

"So, do you know where they are?" Sora asked Gretinal, hopefully, "We might be able to find them and protect them!"

Gretinal had a moment of silence, not immediately answering. She then replied, "No. I do not know EXACTLY where they are." Everyone looked forlorn at this answer. "However...I can tell you approximately where they might be, as well as give you hints on what hearts they have."

"If you don't know who they are, then how do you know what their hearts are like?" Donald asked, confused.

"Donald, I am seer. I may not have the ability to see things exactly, but I can learn some things about what we're looking for. That was what I was trying to discover shortly after the Mark of Mastery. And I can tell you I know what the four hearts you should look for."

"Alright, then. Tell us what these hearts are." Kirito asked.

Gretinal waved her hand out around the crystal orb, and it shone brightly, both from her side and the heroes's. Finally, four hearts appeared on the holographic image, circling about one another.

"The list is as follows..." she started, and one of the hearts glowed gold, "...A young heart, whose bonds of friendship can bring about miracles..." The second heart glowed blue, "...A heart of power, who can turn lust into love..." The third heart glowed a deep purple, "...A wise heart, endlessly pursued alone in darkness..." The fourth heart glowed a red hue, "...And a spirited heart, whose free life had touched many others." The hearts suddenly vanished, and the crystal was back to showing Gretinal again.

The team stood in silence for a moment, comprehending what they had just witnessed. "So…these four hearts belong to the Lost Princesses." Kirito understood, "And with just these vague clues, we're suppose to find them?"

"Come now, Kirito. You shouldn't pout about such things." Kayaba stated, "After all, did you not take on quests in Aincrad with just as little information as this?" Kirito had no say in the matter, as it was technically true. Although, this was coming from the creator of SAO itself.

"I'm sure you'll discover these hearts as long as you let your hearts be your guiding key." Gretinal quoted, smiling at the team, "I know you are able to accomplish this task. I will try to give an approximate location as to where each of them are, but one thing is for certain; They are all from this dimension."

"So…we're going to Kirito and Asuna's dimension again?" Sora asked, looking a bit excited.

"But how are we gonna get there?" Donald asked.

"That's easy." Asuna answered, looking to Kirito and Yui, who nodded in response to this. The trio stepped in front of the others, and drew out their Keyblades. They pointed them towards the path in front of the Gummi Ship, and lights shined brightly from their Keyblades. Beams shot out together, merged outside of the ship to create a large portal, very much like the massive one that sucked in the world of Disney Castle.

"I remember that!" Sora recognized, as Donald, Goofy and Jiminy all looked amazed by the sight.

"I'll be waiting for that photo of Tears." Kayaba told the group, "In the meantime, I'll continue my research on deciphering Ansem's Code. Good luck." The Gummiphone turned off after this.

"When you reach the first world, I shall give you a brief description of what this world has to offer." Gretinal explained, "I do know a lot about the many worlds in this dimension."

"Okay. Thanks, Gretinal." Sora thanked the Keyblade Mistress, and the crystal died down as she turned off communication. Everyone went to their seats, as Yui and Donald drove the Swiftline to the portal, entering into it. The Gummi Ship shook at it crossed the rift between dimensions. Then finally, it came out of the portal, now entering another area of deep space, similar to the one they were in before.

"So where's the closest world?" Sora asked, curious as to where to go.

"There's one nearby." Donald explained, pointing towards a world on the space map they had.

"I'll set a course for it." Yui explained, tapping in the coordinates, and the Gummi Ship took off towards their next destination.

* * *

Back in the Realm of Arrival, Gretinal sighed, standing up and stretching herself, before turning to the window, looking to the sky beyond. Though the battle ahead was a dangerous one, the truth of the matter…was that she did know exactly where these four Lost Princesses were. She closed her eyes, thinking on the choice she made to lie to the heroes.

"It's all for the sake of helping them grow and understand." She told herself, "They are the next generation of Keyblade wielders. They must learn to let their hearts see more than what their eyes and minds notice. They have seen these things in the past, but this is the ultimate test. One that has a time limit and, should they not accomplish such a task in time, our fates would be sentenced to darkness…"

She turned back to the window, going back to the crystal ball on her desk, and begun looking into it. She noticed the Swiftline on it. "Now, if I am correct, the next world they are heading to will grant them a new power to the battles ahead." A smile came across her face as she muttered, "I wonder if they will learn to enjoy the power that'll soon awaken? It is the only thing that can stop certain opponents ahead of them…and it is one that is fun. I hope my friend in that world has set something up to prepare them to earn the gift."

* * *

The Swiftline was slowing down, until it came to a halt. The team looked out, and saw a world whose main focus looked like a park with a stage on it, a glass building, and what looked like an emblem that had a 'J' and a single wing.

"So this is the first world we're visiting." Kirito understood, "And it looks like an Earth world, too."

"It looks like a lot of fun." Goofy pointed out, as Yui pulled up the crystal communicator. The crystal appeared, and it activated to reveal Gretinal's holographic figure.

"I see you arrived at the first world, which is dubbed 'Green Square'." Gretinal noticed, "I have visited this world a couple of times, and it is definitely focused around a certain kind of skill."

"What kind of skill?" Sora asked, "Is it something cool? Can we get it?"

"Oh, you're gonna have to discover that, yourself." Gretinal answered, "And you might just need to learn this very same skill in order to progress forward in your adventures."

"That sounds promising." Asuna stated, "Let's go down and see what this new 'skill' is." She and everyone else stepped into the transporter, and Yui locked in the coordinates. She raced into the transporter as everyone teleported down to the surface below.

* * *

When they came out of the teleportation, They found themselves in the park they saw from above. It was within a large city, and there were several tall buildings about them. There was a glass-walled railing nearby, and they walked towards it, looking out to the lower level.

"It feels the same as our home world." Kirito compared, "I don't know what's so different about this place compared to back home."

"Well, I'm wondering where all the people are at." Asuna asked, looking about. There didn't seem to be a single soul in sight from what they could see.

"It looks like a place that should be popular and crowded…" Yui noticed, looking about.

As if on cue, the team heard a noise that sounded like a large crowd cheering off in the distance. "There's some people." Goofy noticed, "And they sound excited."

"Let's go and see what's up!" Sora suggested, racing to where the cheering was at.

Kirito stood there, watching Donald, Goofy, Yui and Asuna follow Sora. He was hearing the cheering, but something seemed…off. The cheers didn't seem like they were rooting for something pleasant. It almost felt like the cheers were coming from people addicted to something unhealthy.

"Kirito, what's up?" Asuna asked, stopping to look at him.

"I don't know…but I feel like something is wrong." He answered, "I don't think what they're cheering for is something good." Asuna seemed confused at this.

The two followed the others as they made it to the scene of the excitement. There was a crowd of people there, all cheering and raving as they surrounded and outdoor stage. They approached the back of the crowd, trying to look over the people's heads, who were oblivious to their presence.

"I can't see anything!" Donald grimaced, hopping up and down to try and see.

"I can…" Goofy told them, a whimper coming from his tone, "And it doesn't look good."

Sora finally was able to peer through through the crowd, and saw what the commotion was. On the stage in front of the crowd were two humanoid figures. However, based on the familiar symbol underneath their silver jackets, along with their yellow eyes and jagged mouths, that they were Heartless. The jackets they wore had popped-open collars, a sleeve that was longer than the other, with a black band on the longer sleeve's upper arm that trailed off into a red wisp. They had backward silver caps with a red underside, blue jeans with a loose gold belt that hung diagonally down their waist, red, black and silver tennis shoes, a silver choker, and a gold bracelet on the wrist of the short-sleeved side.

"Heartless!" Sora gasped, seeing what the crowd was cheering for. The others looked worried and serious as they heard the news.

 _(Insert 'GET READY' from Tribe Cool Crew OST -Dance Side-)_

The team heard music starting to play from speakers on the stage, as the Heartless started to glow a dark aura. Then suddenly, as the music started to go full out, the humanoid Heartless started to dance. The moves they exerted were skilled, but the main focus on their dance style was on punching and kicking. Every time they unleashed such moves, they ended up creating red and violet shockwaves that flew through the crowd and the heroes, who endured with all their might.

"What…is this?!" Asuna questioned, shielding her eyes with her arm.

"Are they…unleashing this darkness with that dancing?!" Kirito questioned, peering through the crowd to see the Heartless's dance.

"It's making me sick to my stomach." Donald grimaced.

"But look." Yui pointed something out. The audience that was watching them was not phased in a bad way by the dark waves. In fact, they seemed rather excited and enjoyed it. Almost intoxicated by it. "The people are enjoying their dancing!" Yui finished, looking a bit fearful at this.

"Well, we have to stop them!" Sora declared, "If they are influenced by the darkness, then we have to snap them out of it by fighting those Heartless!" He summoned his new Shooting Star Keyblade, which he gained from Twilight Town after the incident with Tears, and raced around the crowd, enduring the shockwaves from the dancing. Everyone followed Sora as they prepared themselves for battle.

As the song started to die down, Sora hopped onto the stage, and stomped the ground hard, drawing the Heartless's attention. "Show's over!" Sora barked, getting in a fighter's stance, as the others came from behind, readying their weapons.

"Cool! Is there gonna be a dance battle?" A male voice from the crowd called out, getting the heroes's attention.

"They don't look like people who can even dance at all!" Another younger male voice noticed.

"These guys are toast!" A girl chuckled.

"Knock it off!" Donald squawked at the crowd angrily.

"What do they mean by 'dance battle'?" Yui asked.

"Don't know, but we can figure it out after we beat these Heartless." Kirito told her, and he charged forward with Elucidator Keyblade at hand.

The music started up again, and the Heartless began dancing, stomping the ground hard to unleash another powerful shockwave. The close range of the attack caused Kirito to be sent flying in pain, toppling back into the middle of the others.

"Kirito!" Sora gasped, seeing how easily he was sent flying.

"We can't even get close to them!" Goofy noticed.

"Then it's time for some magic!" Donald declared, and he unleashed a Fire spell.

"Right!" Asuna agreed, unleashing her own Fire spell at the Heartless. Yui created a whirlwind that joined the two's attacks, forming together to created a fiery tornado. The music continued to play as the Heartless unleashed punches in rhythm with the music, creating shockwaves that diminished the attack in an instant.

"Our attack was destroyed?!" Yui gasped, only for her, Asuna and Donald to endure against the shockwaves that they formed.

"Then how about a Shotlock?" Sora demanded, leaping high up and locking on with his Keyblade. When he reached max lock, he transformed his Keyblade into a rocket launcher form, charging up the front end of it with magic, before firing off a magic missile that transformed into smaller homing bullet, curving around to come at all sides. The Heartless came together, and unleashed omnidirectional shockwaves, destroying every single magic bullet, and sending Sora flying off the stage. The rest of the team also got sent flying off the stage, unable to withstand the combined might of the shockwaves.

They all recovered, though Sora's fall was the worst. He moaned as he felt the pain in his back from landing on the hard cement ground. Goofy looked like he was halfway through a backroll. Donald beret was on his tail-end. Kirito, Asuna and Yui all were on their backs or stomachs.

"One…more time…" he grimaced, looking at the two Heartless that continued to dance.

"No. They're too strong for us, right now." Asuna told him, glaring back at the Heartless, as their dance was hyping up the crowd, who were unfazed by the group leaving the stage. In fact they didn't even seem to care there was a one-sided battle directly in front of them. "Let's retreat from their range so we can come up with a plan." With that decision set, they gathered themselves up, and ran away from the range of the Heartless's shockwaves.

"We can't even get close with those shockwaves they unleash with their dancing." Kirito noticed, "And all magic and long-ranged attacks gets repelled by those same shockwaves, too. Yui, can you tell us what those Heartless are?"

Yui shook her head sadly at this as she answered, "Unfortunately, I'm not completely sure what those Heartless are, either. The scanning device wasn't able to have data on any of them."

"Seriously?" Asuna asked.

"So we have no information on what we're dealing with, and no way to defeat them." Kirito understood.

"But…if we combine our attacks together, we might do something!" Sora suggested in a hopeful manner.

"Do you think that's possible?" Goofy asked. Donald sighed in disgruntlement in response to this. That, too, would end the same way as all others.

Suddenly, the team heard music as they heard someone approaching from behind them. They turned and saw, coming through the planted trees, a person moonwalking towards them. He was a middle-aged man with black combed hair, black eyebrows, and a goatee. He wore a black suit with a purple underside, with two purple hearts at the sleeves, a white shirt underneath, and a black pants, and black laceless shoes.

As the team stared in confusion, he stopped, spun several times around, and struck a pose with his arm out to them. "Unity is a key to defeating them, but your battle is the wrong way to stop them." He told the group in a bravado tone, "Fortunately, the Fairy of Dancing has come to help you with all your problems!"

There was a moment of silence between the two sides, the heroes wondering how to respond to this. "He's a fairy?" Goofy questioned in a quiet tone to Asuna.

"I doubt that." She answered, very suspicious of the man.

Kirito approached the man with caution as he asked, "Who are you? What do you want with us?"

"Pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself properly." He responded, lowering his bravado to a normal tone, "You may refer to me as Master T. I have come to assist you in your battle to defeat those Heartless."

"How did you know what kind of beings those things were?" Sora asked, catching onto how he knew to name them 'Heartless'.

"The one I assist, the King of Dance, Jey El, told me that his dear friend contacted him recently, telling him that six unusual characters would appear, and that they would come to fight off against the High Crowd that possess the populace."

"High Crowd?" Yui echoed, confused.

"That's the name of the Heartless behind you." Master T answered, pointing to the stage where the Heartless were dancing, "They are the dark dancers that have inherited a forbidden dance that was born from the darkness of the world. And thanks to their darkness, the dance makes them nigh impossible to stop…unless defeated by ones with powers as special as yours."

The team looked to one another, then Asuna asked, "So, who is this 'friend' that you spoke of?"

"Who knows?" Master T answered, "Jey only told me she was a mistress of great knowledge and light." It didn't take too long for the team to understand who he meant.

"Mistress Gretinal!" Donald realized.

"So she has more friends than just people like Palutena." Kirito understood, thinking back to the Goddess of Light in Pit's world, who also had knowledge of the Keyblades, too.

"If Jey El knows her, then he's gotta be a good guy!" Sora understood, turning to his friends, who all nodded in agreement. He then turned back to Master T and asked, "Then that means you know how to beat those High Crowds, right?"

"Indeed, but it is not an easy task to accomplish." He answered, "As you experienced, the Heartless can fend off any attack that comes at them. They can sense hostility and your attacks, and repel all."

"They can sense our attacks and hostility?" Kirito asked, "Then how do we defeat them?"

"Yeah. Whatever they're doing to that crowd, I don't think it's healthy to them." Asuna noted, looking to the cheering crowd far beyond them, "It almost looks like they are addicted to the shockwaves they unleash."

"Addicted like a drug." Master T responded, "And in due time, they would transform the hearts of the masses into darkness, and become one of them. But even dark dancing like that can be defeated, when counteracted with dance filled with spirit." Master T looked to the six heroes, "And all of you have a strong spirit within you. I can feel it. But instead of using weapons and magic, you must unleash your spirit onto the mass through dance!"

"Wait a minute…" Kirito started to piece the picture together, "So what you're saying is that the only thing that can stop those Heartless…is through dancing?"

"Precisely." Master T answered, pointing a finger towards Kirito.

The team looked to one another, all of them agreeing to one thing. This was, without a doubt, the strangest way they ever had to deal with the Heartless. And not only that…

"Even if that is the only way to beat the Heartless, we…don't know how to dance." Kirito admitted.

"I know a bit of ballet." Asuna admitted, "My mother actually signed me up for lessons when I was young. But I only spent half-a-year on it."

"I know a lot of disco." Goofy followed, "I danced the nights away back when I was a youngster!"

"Goofy…how old are you?" Kirito questioned, realizing he had never even asked Goofy his age.

"Even if mama and Goofy both know dancing, the rest of us don't." Yui stated.

"That is where I come in!" Master T declared, striking another pose, "I called in some teachers of dance for all of you. They will be the ones who will instruct you in the art of spirited dance!"

Sora looked a bit intrigued, and turned to the others. "Well, if that's the only way to defeat the Heartless, then let's learn it!" He declared, "Besides, it does sound fun!"

Kirito looked to Asuna, who understood one thing. Even if dancing was the only way to defeat them, how could they learn to do so in a short amount of time? They felt like they couldn't dawdle, since who knows when the people would turn into Heartless.

"Then follow me." He told them, and he started to moonwalk away from them, "I shall guide you to the world of dance, and help you embrace it!" He pointed towards the road nearby, and saw a limousine parked there, waiting for the team to climb into. Wondering where and how it appeared without their notice, they ran towards it, got into the car, and it drove them along the road to their destination.

* * *

After a while, the limo stopped at the bottom of a staircase that led up to a place that was called the 'Hometown History Memorial Hall'. The six heroes and Master T hopped out of the limo, and it drove off down the street, parking somewhere out of sight.

"Your teachers are up this way. Follow me." He told the six, and he led them up the stairs.

"So, who are these teachers that will be helping us?" Asuna asked, "How good are they in dance? And what kind of dance do they do?"

"They are dancer of great caliber. Ones who reached the pinnacle of dance to even join the side of Jey El. They are some of the best street dancers out there."

"Street dancers?" Asuna questioned, "So is it something like breakdancing?"

"Well, one of them specializes in such a style." Master T answered, "There is more to street dancing than just that."

They passed the booth that was at the entrance of the building, where an old man was reading a book. "Yo." Master T greeted the elderly man.

"Aw, hello there." The man answered, "They've already arrived and are waiting. A couple of their friends also arrived, too." The last bit of news did puzzle Master T, but he shrugged it off, and continued walking.

They rounded a corner, and found themselves in an area that looked big enough for dancing, including a window that, thanks to the sun, acted like a mirror for them. Not only that, but there were several people there waiting for them. They all didn't even look that old.

One was a short, slightly-tanned boy with honey-colored eyes, long eyelashes, a yellow backwards cap with a white and black badge attached to it, and brown hair that stuck out of it like rabbit ears, with a ponytail going off the back. A pink 'J' was tattooed on his left cheek. He wore a red shirt that had a triangular cut on the side, revealing his black tank top underneath, with yellow and white buttons, and one sleeve that was longer than the other, jean shorts, white, orange, and yellow high top shoes, and maroon glovelettes with white cuffs.

The second was a tall and slender girl with waist-length pink hair that was tied in a side ponytail, held by a large yellow ribbon, bright pink eyes, and blush marks on her cheeks. She wore a pink hoodie with a heart-shaped zipper on it, blue shorts, long black stockings with hearts going down them from dark red to pink, and yellow, orange and multiple pink-colored high tops.

The third was a tall, lean muscular guy with tanned skin, green eyes with red bags underneath, a canine tooth sticking from his closed mouth, and a pair of silver earrings on his right ear. His hair was mostly hidden by a black cloth, but he had braided blonde hair going down the back. He wore a black tank top with a red flame symbol on the side, a half-blue, half-black bandana on his neck, muddy brown pants, and dark green combat boots with dark yellow laces.

The fourth was a young lady with an hourglass figure, dark red eyes, lipstick, blue hair with lighter blue side-bangs, and a white beanie with an 'M' badge. Her attire was a teal crop top with open holes on her shoulders, knee-length sky blue pants, the left pants leg going up to her thigh, a purple belt, a thigh-high, blue-striped sock on her left leg, blue sneakers, a white band on the end of her right pants leg, and a black and red beaded necklace.

The fifth character had a look that reminded the group a bit of Eggman from Sonic's world. He had an egg-shaped body, with short, dark blond hair thick eyebrows, and purple eyes. He wore a purple shirt with a red and white polka-dot tie, white pants with black and orange suspenders, a black belt with a silver buckle, red and orange stars going down his left leg, and black shoes.

The short boy was sitting on the ground while he was waiting, but stood up at the sight of Master T. " Master T!" He greeted, "What's with the sudden call for all of us to get together?"

"Didn't you remember what Mizuki and Kumo told you?" The tall girl reminded him, "He said we were suppose to help him out with a task."

The muscular young man and the young lady approached Master T as the heroes joined him from behind. "So, what's with this group of guys?" The young man asked.

"They're your students in dance." He explained, waving his hand to the six heroes, "They're the ones capable of taking out those dark dancers."

"You mean the ones that took over the Green Square stage?" The short boy asked, looking to the group, "And they're capable of beating them?"

"Yes. They have a special power that has yet to be unlocked. And I asked you guys to come together to help them gain it." The heroes behind him all looked at each other. Now, they understood what the 'skill' that Gretinal was talking about before.

Sora stepped forward as he asked, "So, can you guys can teach us how to dance?"

"Absolutely!" Said a pair of voices in sync. Sliding in between the short boy and Sora were two more characters that appeared out of nowhere.

One was a young man with short blonde hair, hidden with a dark blue backwards cap, purple lipstick, and purple eyes. He wore a beige and red-trimmed open vest over a black t-shirt, dark gray pants, brown boots, and blue and white bandanas around his neck and waist.

The other was a girl around his age. She had purple eyes with eyeshadow to match, pink lipstick, hazel hair that was formed in a heart-shaped bun, with a broad bang curling out in front, tied with a bandana the same color as the guy. Her attire consisted of a pink sleeveless coat, a black crop top, white and blue-striped gymnastic pants, and red sneakers. She also wore a gold bellybutton piercing.

"We heard you guys were looking for dancers to teach you guys." The young man started.

"So we 'boinged' over to come and lend our assistance to paint you guys in our color!" The young lady followed.

Sora looked really confused as he asked, "Paint us…in your color."

"They were actually here in town to visit, but heard about Jey asking for our help." The muscular boy stated, "So they sort of followed us." The pair looked a bit smug, despite their true reasons being exposed.

"So, who exactly are you guys?" Asuna asked, wanting to know the people that were teaching them.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." The young boy apologized, "I'm Haneru Tobitatsu." He raised his hand to Sora to shake, "Nice ta meet ya."

The young Keyblade wielder smiled as he greeted, "I'm Sora." He took Haneru's hand, and they shook.

"I'm Kanon Otosaki." The tall girl introduced herself, bowing to the group, "Please bear with me."

"My name is Yui." The ex-program replied, bowing in response, "Please teach me well."

The muscular boy and the young lady approached Kirito and Asuna as the former greeted, "It's Kumo."

"And I'm Mizuki." The girl followed, placing one arm on Kumo's shoulder, and giving a peace sign to the couple.

"Hi. I'm Kirito."

"And I'm Asuna. It's a pleasure."

"My name is Yuzuru." The robust boy greeted the final pair of the heroes.

"Howdy, Yuzuru. I'm Goofy." The anthropomorphic dog greeted.

"Donald Duck." The duck greeted.

The pair that appeared before got in front of Yuzuru as they introduced themselves, "I'm Lui." "And I'm Moe." The young man shaped his fingers like an 'L', while the girl formed her fingers into an 'M'.

"And we are…!" Lui started, "When the Grandiose Yatsugatake Range to the East, the Lake Suwa's Waters Shine Clear, and On its Shores, We Perform the Steps of a New Dawn."

"Whaaat?! That's way too long!" Donald exclaimed.

"What is that suppose to be?" Yui questioned.

"Apparently, that's their team name." Kanon chuckled.

"Your's better not be as complex." Kirito muttered to Kumo and Mizuki.

"Don't worry. It ain't." Kumo answered.

"So, you have a dance team name?" Sora asked Haneru, "What is it?"

Haneru smirked as he spread his arms out to Kanon, Kumo, Mizuki, and Yuzuru as he replied, "We are Tribe Cool Crew."

"Tri-Cool for short." Mizuki added.

"Tribe Cool Crew…" Sora echoed, grinning at the name, "That sounds awesome!"

Master T cleared his throat, drawing the attention onto him. "Well now. I'd better take my leave. I'll keep a watchful eye on the happenings in Green Square. You guys better start teaching these heroes how to dance. As a personal note, I'd suggest using what you know individually, and teach it to each of them. We're all counting on you. Jey is counting on all of you." With that, he moonwalked out of the scene, disappearing from sight.

"That guy is pretty odd." Kirito muttered, while Asuna chuckled in agreement.

"I can do that moonwalk, no problem!" Goofy stated, doing his own moonwalk with ease, "It's one of the first things I learned at the disco club."

"So your style is into disco, huh?" Yuzuru asked, "That's good to know."

Sora turned to the group of young teachers as he asked, "Okay. I…know only a few moves in dance. But I don't think it'll be enough to beat those High Crowds. Please teach us."

"You got it!" Haneru answered, "If Jey is counting on us to teach you, then we HAVE to do it. Let's go maximum moves, baby!"

"Hold on." Kumo stopped his excitement hard, "Remember what Master T suggested; We should try teaching each of them what each of us know."

"What does that mean?" Goofy asked.

"Maybe…teaching each of them our dance styles?" Kanon suggested.

"Do you guys have different dance styles?" Asuna asked.

"We do." Kumo answered, "Tribe Cool Crew's main style of dance is New Jack Swing. But we each specialize in our own style of dance. I do breakdancing."

"My style is street jazz." Mizuki followed.

"My style is parkour." Haneru stated, doing a high jump backflip.

"My style is hip-hop." Kanon explained.

"And I'm well-versed in all forms of dance." Yuzuru stated, spinning on the spot and coming to a halt almost instantly. For his figure, he was surprisingly nimble.

"What about you guys?" Kirito asked, looking to Lui and Moe.

"Our dance style…" Moe started, pointing a finger at the crowd in general, "…Is to dye you in our color!"

There was a moment of silence between the group, then Kumo turned to the heroes, "Let's get started then."

"Oy! Don't ignore us like that!" Moe exclaimed.

"Boing! That's too cruel!" Lui argued.

"Sorry, but this is important." Kirito apologized.

"If we don't learn how to dance, those Heartless in Green Square will turn everyone's hearts to darkness." Yui exclaimed.

"That's why we have to learn to dance." Sora declared, "We'll make sure everyone's hearts are safe by using that 'dance spirit' stuff!"

"In that case, I bet I can teach you, Sora." Haneru suggested, "I totally can feel your spirit. It's hittin' me right here!" He poked a thumb at his chest, indicating his heart. Sora smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Yui." Kanon approached the youngest member of the group, "Would you be fine in having me as your teacher?"

"Sure. I would love to, actually." Yui answered.

"Oy, Kirito." Kumo called out to the black swordsman, "I'll teach you."

"Having Kumo call you out like that must mean he sees something special in you." Mizuki told Kirito, then to Asuna, she suggested, "And I bet I can teach you how to dance, Asuna. You okay in learning street jazz?"

"Sure, if you think I can do it." Asuna answered, a little nervous at learning how to dance her style.

"Guess I'd better learn how to breakdance, then." Kirito sighed, matching Kumo's glare with his own, as if sizing one another up.

Yuzuru approached Donald and Goofy as he started, "Now, as for you two…"

"Hold it, hold it, hoooold it!" Moe stopped him, coming up behind Donald, and bot he and Lui grabbed his feathered arms, "This one's already got the colors we like. We'll be the ones to teach him our style."

"And we'll doing a boingin' good job, too!" Lui added, and they hoisted Donald off the ground.

"Hey, let me go! Let me go!" Donald squawked angrily as the two dancers carried him off to a different part of the area, shouting out, "See you guys later!"

"Those guys march to their own beat…" Kirito muttered.

"I guess that leaves me to teach you how to dance." Yuzuru told Goofy, "And if you are good in disco dancing, I bet I can teach you dance steps that'll give your moves more elegance and class!"

"Gee, ya think you can?" Goofy asked.

"Of course!" Yuzuru answered.

"Let's split up and practice in individual spots." Kumo suggested, "And remember; don't forget to warm up and stretch. Got it?"

"I got it, I got it." Haneru answered, "Sora and I'll take this spot!"

"I know of a good spot, too." Kanon told Yui, "I'll ask Wakui to the keys to it."

"Sure. I'll follow you." Yui answered, and the two girls walked off towards the entrance.

"Let's go, Kirito." Kumo ordered.

"Sure." He answered, and the two walked off.

"I get the feeling those two'll be good friends." Mizuki assumed, looking to Asuna, "Okay. Why don't we work together somewhere close to where they're practicing?"

"Okay." Asuna answered, and the two followed Kumo and Kirito.

"I know of a room in this building that'll work for us." Yuzuru told Goofy, "Follow me, if you please."

"I'm right behind ya!" Goofy answered, and the two walked towards the entrance as well. This left Sora and Haneru alone in the open space.

"So, I guess we start with warming up, right?" Sora asked Haneru.

"Yeah. Let me teach you a few exercises that help me loosen up and control my body more easily." He answered, "Here, let me teach you."

During this time, all of the pairs, or trio in Donald's case, were doing their stretches and exercises to loosen themselves up. Both Sora and Yui were learning isolation techniques they were taught by the other members of their dance team to better control their body ( **Author's note: all displayed in Tribe Cool Crew episode 4** ). Kirito and Kumo were more or less stretching out their limbs and bodies like pro athletes. Asuna was seriously amazed at Mizuki's flexibility, as she was not only able to perform splits, but also have her legs reach all the way up to her face. Donald was forced into stretches with Lui and Moe, thought they were very anxious to show their stuff to him. And Yuzuru was teaching Goofy the same things Kanon and Haneru were teaching.

"Okay. Now that we're stretched out, let's get to some practicing." Haneru declared, putting his hands on his hips, "So…do you know any moves?"

"Um…" Sora started, thinking on some moves, "Well, I can do handstand spins when I'm on a barrel."

"Seriously?! That's awesome!" Haneru exclaimed, "Why don't you show me that?"

"Okay…" Sora answered, looking about. There were no barrels about, but he decided to try it anyway. He leapt into a handstand, stretched one arm and both his legs outwards, and tried to pivot on his free hand. Unfortunately, without something to pivot him, he lost his balance, and fell over. Haneru winced at his fail.

"Guess it's hard without something like a barrel to be on." Sora chuckled, getting back up on his feet, "Why don't you show me how you dance, so I know what parkour dancing looks like."

It was as if Sora had just asked him to demonstrate his most precious skill in the world. Haneru beamed at the request, and replied, "You got it! I'll show you the best moves you have ever seen!" He raced to his backpack that he had on the ground, pulled out his music player and speakers, and prepared a song. He got back in front of the reflecting window, and got himself set.

 _(Insert 'Change the Mind ~LET ME SHOW THE BRIGHT' from Tribe Cool Crew OST)_

Sora watched Haneru as he was focusing, his eyes closed, listening to the music. Sora could tell he was tuning himself into the music, feeling it, and wanting his body to dance with it. His drive to dance was so strong, a fiery aura was somehow coming off of him. Then the moment came, and Haneru's eyes opened. All at once he began his dance…and it was a dance Sora had never seen before. Street dancing was non-existent on the islands. However, Haneru's dancing, his control over his body, and his flow with the music, were so incredible. His parkour skills really shined with his jumping and stunts with or from it. Haneru's dancing drew Sora in, loving every bit of it.

When the music finished, Haneru performed a backflip, ending with a fist pump pose and a grin. "Wow! That was awesome!" Sora exclaimed, racing up to Haneru's side excitedly.

"Your really felt it, huh?" Haneru asked, thumbing his heart, "Hit you right here, didn't it?"

"Yeah! It totally did!" Sora nodded in agreement, "That dancing just reached my heart and made me excited!"

"You totally get it!" Haneru noted, pointing at Sora, "Make your moves reach the audience, and you'll definitely hit them with your spirit! I'll help you out!" Sora nodded in agreement, eager to start.

* * *

On the other side of the window, Yui and Kanon were watching the two boys as Haneru started to show steps and moves to use in dance. "Those two are a lot alike." Kanon noticed.

"Sora's always had a childish eagerness to try new things like that." Yui noticed, "But he's also dedicated to helping people when it matters. I bet that's what's influencing him now, too."

"For you to say Sora is childish is really strange, Yui." Kanon noticed in an awkward tone, "How old are you?"

"Er…" Yui started, not sure how to answer that. She was told by her parents not to tell anyone that she was really an Artificial Intelligence unless they were aware of outside world, or if AIs existed like she did. So she had to divert the conversation somehow. "Well…I was more curious on how long you have been dancing." She started, "You don't seem that much older than me."

Kanon looked a bit surprised, but she smiled as she started, "Actually, I did start in ballet for a while, but it didn't end up being that interesting to me. When I discovered a class on hip-hop, I became totally intrigued. My mother, however, didn't think it was right for a proper girl to learn. I was pretty shy, and I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself. So I ended up learning hip-hop in secret, and took on the an alias called 'Rhythm' for a while, putting up dance videos and such."

She looked ahead, seeing Haneru teaching Sora, who was having a hard time learning the exact steps. "But Haneru change everything. He learned about who I really was, and pushed me into dancing more publicly. We joined Kumo, Mizuki and Yuzuru, and formed Tribe Cool Crew. Dancing together changed me, and I enjoy being the person I am today."

Yui looked happily at Kanon, who stared at Haneru with admiration. It was clear she more than admired Haneru. "Are you and Haneru…a couple?" She asked. Kanon blushed horribly at this, but didn't deny the fact.

"W-Well, let me show you a clip of my time back in my Rhythm days." Kanon pulled out her smartphone, and after scrolling through it, pulled up a video of her. Apart from her figure, she had her hair tied up in twin-tails, held with blue orbs and oval-shaped yellow hair ties. She wore a blue mask, and had a 'R' earring on her right ear. Her attire consisted of a white dress that was sleeveless on the left side, a red beaded belt and short tights. She wore a green sock with butterfly patterns on her right leg, and red sneakers.

 _(Insert 'Start up! ~KING'S DREAM' from Tribe Cool Crew OST)_

Yui took the smartphone and watched the dance segment as Kanon, under the alias of Rhythm, was dancing. Like Haneru, she was incredibly skilled, moving her body to the rhythm of the music in the style of hip-hop. Not only that, but Kanon was effectively using her long limbs in her dancing style.

"So…this is how you dance?" Yui asked, intoxicated by the dance video.

"Mm-hm. Though, I have grown and improved since then." Kanon explained, "I mean, I do like to look back at where I was before, and see how much has changed till now. I don't even use the disguise of Rhythm anymore."

Once the dance video ended, Yui paused for a second. As an AI, she learned a lot of things online by surfing the internet. Seeing this video made her want to study it a bit more. "If it's okay with you, can I watch this video a few times?" She asked Kanon, "I tend to learn better from watching videos like this. Afterwards, I would like to try these steps."

"Okay. If that's what you want to do." Kanon agreed. She then realized something, and giggled a bit.

"What is it?" Yui asked.

"Nothing…" she replied, "It's just…it was actually through this dance that I met Haneru. He was trying to learn the dance through this video, too. And now, you're doing the same." Yui looked intrigued at the irony, but decided not to further ask on it. Instead, she looked back at the smartphone, and begun to replay the video again.

* * *

Near the entrance, at the guardrail near the steps leading upwards to the building, Kirito and Kumo were practicing together, the former trying to learn the steps that Kumo was demonstrating, but struggling to do so.

"This is harder than it looks." Kirito pointed out, looking at his feet after he failed to make the right steps.

"You're not committed." Kumo told him, "Do you even like to dance?"

Kirito paused before answering, "It's not that I don't enjoy it. But I've never even experienced something like this before."

Kumo glared at Kirito for a few minutes, like he was analyzing him. Finally, he asked, "What do you do physically?"

"Me?" Kirito asked, wondering where he was getting out of that question, "Well…I do a lot of fighting."

"You're a delinquent?" Kumo asked.

"No! Not like that! I don't pick meaningless fights. I fight monsters like the ones that are in the square right now, even other people, who control them."

"Are you good at fighting?"

"Well, yeah. I did train hard. And I'm great with a sword. I'm not trying to be boastful, but I know how to use one, and how to fight others with the skills I have."

Isn't that dancing?" Kumo's question caused Kirito to blink in surprise

"My sword skills…a dance?" Kirito summed up, a bit confused.

"Your moves require control over your body and mind in order to pull them off during a fight." Mizuki stated, approaching from a nearby spot with Asuna, the latter having trouble learning the street jazz style, "Dancing is no different. And if you use what you are confident with into your dance, then you can dance better. That is what he was trying to say. Right, Kumo?" The group looked to the breakdancer, who only answered with a single nod.

"That's an idea." Asuna understood, "I was actually having trouble learning the steps Mizuki was teaching me. But if we think of dancing like we were fighting unseeable opponents, we might be able to pull it off."

"Use what I know in battle, and put it into my dance…" Kirito understood, looking at his hand. He thought back to all the Sword Skills from SAO, and thought to his Horizontal Square. He positioned his feet as if he was prepared to unleash the 4-hit skill, then shot forward. He pivoted his footing as he used his hand to make the first three slashes in the air. At his fourth one, he tilted downward, his secondary palm slamming onto the pavement, going into a one-handed handstand, flipping forward, and unleashing his final slash with his hand. It created a minor shockwave, similar to his usual Horizontal Square, enough to just distort the wind.

Mizuki and Asuna were amazed at Kirito's move just now. Kumo gave a cheeky grin, starting to see the potential he felt before. Kirito looked at his hands, realizing the success of the dance move.

"You pulled it off, Kirito!" Asuna cheered, "And it looked just like a dance move."

"An unusual dance move, but I can see what you can pull off." Mizuki admitted.

"If I keep working at it, I bet my sword skills can mix well with breakdancing, and pull off my own style of dancing." Kirito understood, looking to Kumo, "Let's get back to practice again. I wanna try some things."

"Sure." Kumo responded, and they gave some space from the ladies as they went back to practice.

"Well, Asuna?" Mizuki started, "You gonna let your boyfriend one-up you like that?"

Asuna wasn't phased by her blatant comment, but she smiled confidently as she answered, "No way. I know I can do just as well with my rapier skills and your street jazz, and I'll be able to pull off moves just as great as him."

Mizuki snapped her finger as she answered, "Good answer. Let's get to it!" Asuna and Mizuki stepped further away from the boys as they continued their lessons.

* * *

Down near the road, Donald was practicing hard with Lui and Moe, watching one another from a spare window that reflected like a mirror. Despite Donald's duck feet, he was actually learning the steps from Lui and Moe pretty well.

"Not bad, Donald. Your gettin' into our color." Lui told him, lowering the bandana covering his mouth.

"It's makin' us hoppin' happy!" Moe added.

Donald chuckled with a hint of pride, "Well, I'm not just a great wizard, you know. I can dance, too!"

Lui had a bit of a sweat-dropped expression as he said, "Though, I wish you were easier to understand when you speak."

"I speak fine!" Donald argued angrily, causing Lui to raise his hands in defense.

"Though with our dance, you'll definitely be able to beat those dancers at Green Square, boing~!." Moe added.

"Actually, I was wondering myself…" The trio turned to see Yuzuru and Goofy, both coming out of the building after their practice, the former speaking up to them, "…Why did you decide to follow us? You weren't called upon like Tribe Cool Crew. You have a secret agenda in all of this, don't you?"

Lui and Moe looked to one another for a second, then they sighed as Moe answered, "Guess it can't be helped. You got us." He became serious as he answered, "The truth is that we're trying to redeem ourselves, and get rid of that dance."

"Redeem yourselves?" Goofy asked.

"I see. Is it because you use to use the same dance, as well." Yuzuru understood.

Donald looked surprised as Moe stepped forward, answering, "Yeah. That dance made us forget about our color, along who we truly were. We were so obsessed with fame and fortune, we ended up using that dance to try and take over the dance world."

"But that dance damaged our bodies, boing…" Moe followed, "It took us a while before we returned ourselves to normal, and we returned to our roots again, regaining what we lost."

"And that includes our friendship with Tribe Cool Crew." Lui finished, "We never fully forgave ourselves for all the trouble we put you through. So if our dance can help save someone, we'll do it. We'll dye those darkened hearts in our color!"

Yuzuru smiled and nodded in understanding. "A beautiful way in trying to redeem yourselves. You use your dance and make sure that people's heart were never as dark as yours were in the past."

"And here I thought you guys were just full of yourselves." Donald bluntly stated, causing the LuiMoe pair to act a little embarrassed.

Goofy chuckled as he stated, "Well, I'm glad you guys are here to help us out. It looked like Donald was having a lot of fun dancin' with you guys." Donald avoided eye contact from Lui and Moe, trying not to show he was right. "And I'm having fun with Yuzuru. This 'disco freestyle' dance is hard to learn, but I like it."

"You are learning quite fast, Goofy." Yuzuru noted, "I must admit, I am surprised by your progression."

"Well, people say I have a lot of space in my head for learnin'." Goofy noted with a chuckle, absentmindedly not getting the real message behind that. The others, on the other hand, understood what that meant.

"Let's get back to dancing." Yuzuru told everyone, "You guys may be good, but there is still room for progression."

"He's right." Lui agreed, turning to Donald, "Let's keep gettin' you ready. We'll even teach you our specialty."

"The Luilui step, boing~!" Moe understood.

"Yeah. You ready, Donald?"

"Alright!" Donald answered, looking very sure he could master the dance technique.

It had been about three and a half hours since they started their practicing. Everyone was progressing quite well in their lessons. They were learning the basics, but due to having physical experience, and their ability to adapt, they were learning the dances quite well.

"Fuu…" Sora sighed in relief, wiping his forehead after he and Haneru tried a dance together, "That was tough, but fun. Was I doing alright?"

"Hmm…" Haneru was pondering on where to begin, "Well, you were using the steps I taught you, and your passion was hittin' me, but…"

"But what?" Sora asked, realizing something was wrong.

"…I can't really explain. I think it had to do with your dance with the music?" Haneru summed up, rubbing the temple of his head with one finger, "It felt like they didn't match up."

"My dance…didn't match with the music?" Sora echoed, wondering what that meant.

On the other side of the glass, Yui had just finished the dance she watched from Kanon's phone, and she panted a bit from the exertion. "Well, what do you think?" She asked.

"Amazing! You were able to match my dance moves perfectly, Yui." Kanon stated, "After just watching that video, you were able to quickly learn the steps." Yui chuckled from the appraise, though it stopped when Kanon continued, "Although…I wasn't really feeling it."

"Huh?" Yui questioned, "What do you mean? Didn't I dance it well?"

"Yeah. You did it perfectly. But…it didn't impact my heart like it should."

Yui looked confused, looking down at her feet. How did the dance not reach her heart?

Just then, there was a ring from Kanon's phone. In fact, all of the Tribe Cool Crew's phones were ringing. They all picked up their phones, answering the call.

"Tri-Cool, I'm sending the car to you guys." It was Master T's voice, and he sounded concern, "The High Crowd's influence is worsening on the crowd. We need them to dance, now!"

"Eh?! Now?!" Haneru exclaimed.

"But, we're still teaching them." Kanon pointed out.

"It can't be helped." Kumo responded, "People's lives are at stake. Let's hope we taught them enough."

"Okay." "We're on it." Mizuki and Yuzuru answered. Everyone hung up on Master T, and got themselves together. Though they were still inexperienced, the six heroes still needed to use what they know so far, and put it to the test.

* * *

Moments later, the limo that picked up the heroes before was driving them, Tri-Cool, and LuiMoe was driving itself back to Green Square, and they could tell the situation had gotten worse off than before. The crowd was bigger than before, and they were encased in a dark aura. They were no longer cheering, but the top half of their bodies were sagging, and they were swaying to the beat of the High Crowd Heartless. Master T was watching from a distance as the team joined up from behind.

"This is terrible!" Asuna gasped.

"Oy, what's wrong with them?!" Haneru questioned in shock.

"I'm afraid that if we don't stop those High Crowd now, the audience will become like them." Master T stated.

"That's not good…" Yuzuru muttered.

"It'll get worse." Kirito added, "They might spread the darkness even further across this place, until the entire world is consumed. While they're still contained, let's end them, here and now!"

"Yeah, but…are we really prepared for a dance-off against them?" Asuna asked. Kirito, unfortunately, didn't have the answer.

"We'll never know until we try." Sora responded, and he raced ahead towards the stage.

"Sora, wait!" Donald and Goofy shouted, racing from behind.

Just then, the Heartless unleashed a shockwave from their dance. Sora endured, but Donald and Goofy were ill-prepared to endure, and they fell over. Sora saw his friends were hurt, but he knew they were fine. He turned back and continued running, racing up the steps onto the stage.

"This time, things'll be different." He told the Heartless, "Cause I got the moves that'll beat yours!"

 _(Insert 'Change the Mind ~LET ME SHOW THE BRIGHT' from Tribe Cool Crew OST)_

Using the music player Sora pulled from Haneru, he began playing the same music he was playing before. As the music slowly progressed, Sora focused himself. Then when it was time, he began his routine. His dancing was good, and he was able to pull off flashy and skilled moves that Haneru himself taught him. Some were moves he pulled off from his own skills.

"Not bad." Kirito noted, seeing Sora moves, "He's gotten way better."

"Yeah, but he isn't in sync." Kumo noticed, "His dancing is all over the place."

"His dancing isn't in sync?" Asuna echoed. Then she looked about, and noticed someone wasn't there. "Where's Yui?"

Sora finished his routine, and struck a pose. He panted as he hoped his dance was enough to beat the High Crowd. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work, as with one dark shockwave, Sora was sent flying off the stage by the Heartless.

"Why?" Sora asked, getting into a sitting position, "Was that not enough?"

"Sora!" Yui cried out, coming from behind him. Once he got back onto his feet, Yui started, "I could see you dance routine, but your dancing didn't seem right."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, confused.

"You were pulling off big moves in the wrong places." Yui explained, "And some dance moves didn't really blend well into one another with the music. I watched a video of Kanon dancing several times, and she was doing the same thing; saving all her flashier moves for when it was right for the music."

Sora finally understood what Haneru was trying to say before. He was not in sync with the music because his dance, his moves, they were all placed in the wrong parts of the music.

"Let me try." Yui requested, walking towards the steps.

"You sure you can handle it?" Sora asked.

"Trust me. I studied the dance Kanon showed me, and I know how to do it." She answered, getting onto the stage, glaring at the Heartless, "I can do this! Watch!"

 _(Insert 'Start up! ~KING'S DREAM' from Tribe Cool Crew OST)_

Yui began the routine she watched in Rhythm's video, and she was mimicking the same exact moves as she saw. The timing and the rhythm of her dance was on point. She was easily able to perform the dance steps. The expression on her face was focused and serious.

"Go, Yui!" Donald and Goofy shouted together.

"I can't believe that's really our Yui dancing up there." Asuna noted, turning to Kanon, "Did she learn all that from you?"

"Yeah, she did." She answered, looking to Yui dancing, "She is able to do the dance I showed her, but still…"

"I'm not feeling her passion." Kumo bluntly stated.

"True. She isn't exerting her joy in her dance." Yuzuru admitted. The other heroes looked from them to Yui, who had just finished her routine. However, like Sora before, the High Crowd were unaffected by her dance, and with one shockwave, she was sent flying. Sora managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Are you okay, Yui?!" Sora asked in a worried manner.

"I'll be fine." She answered, "But I did the dance right. What went wrong?"

"Hmm… Well, I didn't really feel like your heart was into it." Sora summed up.

"My heart?" Yui echoed.

"You did the dance great, but I couldn't feel your spirit." He explained, "Weren't you having fun on the stage?"

"I don't know. I was only thinking about getting the steps right."

"That explained it. I was enjoying trying to enjoy the dance and show it, but my dance was out of sync. Your dance was great, but you didn't feel like you were enjoying the dance." Sora placed Yui on her feet, and both looked toward the Heartless. "We gotta learn from one another's mistakes, and get better."

Yui understood what Sora was saying. She was acting like a machine when doing the dance; she could do the routine, but she had no soul. Without that, how could she influence other people's hearts? That was something she needed to learn to do, here and now.

The Heartless's influenced caused the darkness to thicken around the audience, and their eyes were turning yellow. "We are running out of time!" Master T noticed.

"Kirito, Asuna, you guys go out and dance!" Mizuki told the pair, who looked nervous, but felt they had to try before it was too late.

"Wait!" Kumo stopped them, looking to the stage. Both Sora and Yui were on the stage, standing side by side as they confronted the High Crowd Heartless.

"Are they planning to try again?" Lui questioned, shocked.

"Boing~! They certainly don't want to give up!" Moe followed.

Sora and Yui were glaring at the Heartless as Sora started, "Okay, Yui. Let's show 'em we can be better than what we have shown."

"Right. Let's time our dance to the music, and put all of our heart into it." Yui followed.

"Right. Let's work together and pull this off!" Sora declared, with Yui nodding in agreement, "With all of our spirit, and all of our dance!"

Suddenly, the pair started to exert a glowing aura from their bodies; Sora's being a red aura, and Yui's being a pink one. It came off of them, floating upwards like fireflies. They both felt the light, and looked down at themselves.

"What's happening to them?!" Donald questioned.

"They're glowing." Goofy pointed out.

The rest of the group from behind were amazed at the sight of the two's aura. "This is it…" Master T muttered, "This is what Jey said would happen."

"Jey?!" Haneru echoed, wondering what he meant.

Master T ignored him, and he cupped his hands in front of his mouth like a megaphone and shouted out, "Hey! That's your Dancing Spirit shining out! Use it's power to defeat the Heartless!" Sora and Yui looked to where he was, wondering how they were suppose to do that, but he had the answer. "Stomp towards your opponent, and shout out, 'Dance Stage On!' Then, let the dance take you over!"

Sora and Yui looked to one another, nodded in confirmation, and turned to their opponents. They stomped their right foot towards their opponent as they shouted, in unison, " **Dance Stage On!** " The Dancing Spirit shot to their feet, and dispersed all about them, forming a field of light to do their dance. The darkness consuming the stage was pushed back, as Sora and Yui's field was protected with a ring of light. The ground transformed into something similar to the design of the station in the Dive into the Heart. It had a red and pink background, with a giant SAKIII emblem in the center, with a ring of hearts resembling the colors of the six heroes in a pattern.

Sora and Yui's bodies glowed, and their clothes transformed. Sora's attire featured a red backwards cap, with only part of his hair sticking out from the gap in the hat and from underneath, a white and black KH pin attached to one side. He had on a black combat vest, a red and white-trimmed short-sleeved shirt, blue cargo shorts, yellow, black and white shoes that were thinner and more high-tops, and black glovelettes with gold wrists.

Yui's hair had now become high twintails, held with blue bands, and her side bangs still hanging out on either side. Her one-piece dress was similar to Rhythm's in design, but it was pink. She had a loose black belt on her waist with blue stones patterned on it, dark blue leggings underneath, a blue sock going up her right thigh, patterned with blue tears, pink and white high-tops with purple straps, and a dark blue detached sleeve on her left lower arm, complete with a black band on the upper part and her Inhibitor Ring on her wrist.

The two looked poised and ready, their eyes closed, unaware of their transformation. The others, on the other hand, were total amazement at the new looks of the two. The High Crowd Heartless were frozen in place, as the crowd was looking up with glowing yellow eyes at the pair, as the music started.

* * *

 _(Insert 'Simple & Clean Remix ver.' Of KH OST)_

Sora and Yui waited as the song started calm. Then, as the music finally reached the moment it picked up in intensity, they danced as one. Their moves were in sync as they danced, both to the song and one another. They were smiling as they danced together, enjoying themselves.

 **You're giving me too many things lately**

 **You're all I need, you smiled at me and said**

As the singing started, Yui took front first, demonstrating her hip-hop style of dancing, small moves at the started, then become stronger as her moment ended. Unlike before, her enjoyment of the song was emanating, and she was truly having fun.

 **"Don't get me wrong, I love you**

 **But does that mean I have to meet your father?"**

 **When we are older you'll understand**

 **What I meant when I said**

 **"No, I don't think life is quite that simple"**

Sora and Yui traded positions, now Sora in front, showing his parkour dance style. His dance was now in sync with the music, holding back his bigger, flashier moves until the right moments.

 **When you walk away, you don't hear me say**

 **"Please, oh baby, don't go."**

 **Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight**

 **It's hard to let it go**

The two came together, and danced as one, their moves in sync once more. When they even went into parkour and hip-hop, their moves worked well with one another. Neither one seemed to stand out.

"I'm feelin' it! I'm feelin' it!" Haneru exclaimed.

"They got so good in an instant! How is this possible?!" Kanon questioned.

"It's the power of the Dance Stage." Master T answered simply.

 **Hold me**

 **Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on**

 **Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all**

 **Nothing's like before**

Sora was in front of Yui as she cut back on big moves, and danced behind him, while he shined with his extravagant moves. When the song repeated at a different form, Yui swapped spots with Sora, and their roles became revered; with Sora doing smaller moves to compliment Yui's as she pulled off her bigger moves. Then as it went back to music, the pair continued to dance together, in sync and filled with spirit and heart. At this point, they weren't even aware that this was a dance to stop the Heartless. That is, until the music ended.

* * *

As the music ended, they both exerted all the dance energy they stored from their routine, and in one fell swoop, they stomped the ground, unleashing it onto the Heartless. They were sent flying, and vanished into the shadows, leaving the hearts to float up and vanish. They had succeeded in defeating them.

The two panted from exhaustion, but they looked at their handiwork. Suddenly, they heard applause and cheering. They turned, and saw that the crowd was no longer under the dark influence of the Heartless. They were now cheering and raving for the pair and their dance. It was as if they were unaware of what they had been through before at all. The rest of the heroes and their teachers knew, and they applauded in joy at the success of the two.

Yui and Sora looked to each other, saw briefly that they had new garments on, but decided to question it later as they turned to the audience, and waved in thanks for their applause. They raced off the stage, just as their clothing glowed, and reverted back to normal.

"So cool!" Haneru was already leaps ahead of everyone as he made a fiery flip, landing in front of the two, "You guys were so awesome up there! You really hit me where it counts with your moves and spirit!"

"I agree." Kanon followed, as she led Donald and Goofy over to them, "I wanted to dance with you guys so badly up there. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I was watching you."

"Hehe. Thanks." Sora thanked them as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I had so much fun up there." Yui stated, "I even forgot I was doing this to stop the Heartless."

"Well, your dance certainly did stop the Heartless." Master T led the rest of the heroes, "And you ended up saving the audience from them, too."

"That was pretty swell." Goofy chuckled, "You guys look like you were having fun!"

"But what was with those clothes you guys were wearing when you were dancing?" Kirito asked.

"Dunno. But they were easier to move around in." Sora admitted, looking at his garments, remembering what the other clothing looked like.

"I agree. My hair wasn't even in the way." Yui noted, indicating that during her training with Kanon, her hair was slightly getting in her face from time to time.

"I gotta admit; I never thought of Yui having her hair in twin-tails like Silica's." Asuna admitted, "But seeing them while you danced was really makes me think of how adorable you are in them. Don't you agree, Kirito?"

"I don't know. Since I have short hair, I really don't care much about how hair is styled anyways."

The answer irritated both Asuna and Mizuki as the former argued, "Geez, Kirito. I keep forgetting how tactless you can be with girls and fashion. This is our daughter, here! At least compliment her!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Kirito apologized in his defense.

"My God! You are just as useless in fashion as Kumo!" Mizuki compared, snapping a look at the said guy, who expression questioned why he was being brought into this argument.

"Dance Stage." Master T broke up the argument as everyone turned to him, while he was moonwalking around the group, "A force of power that exists for those with powers and spirits like the six of you. By channeling the Dancing Spirit that comes out of you, you are able to create a stage that is suited for the song that is made for that moment. As you dance, you build up your dance energy. When you are finished, you can unleash it onto your target, banishing the darkness from them. That is the power of Dance Stage."

"That is an amazing power!" Yuzuru muttered in amazement.

"Why don't we have something like that, boing~?" Moe questioned.

"Yeah! If we could pull that off, we could've ended those Heartless things and their dance!" Lui argued.

Master T stopped moonwalking as he turned to the six heroes. "Because you don't have the same 'inner power' as they do." He pointed at them, "They contain the light in their spirit that can truly extinguish the darkness."

The six looked to one another. The light in their spirit? I wonder if that was referring to their magic? Or was it the light in their hearts? Whatever it was, what Master T was saying was that they were the only ones among the group who could exert such powers.

"Well, that doesn't seem fair." Haneru grumbled, "I wouldn't mind having that kind of power."

"Hey, just be happy we can dance at the Green Square now." Kanon told him. Haneru was too stubborn to really agree to this.

"Well, it looks like we solved your problem here." Kirito told them, "Guess we'd better get on our way."

"You sure?" Mizuki asked, "You guys hadn't been here long."

"There are a lot more places than you think that have similar problems and similar monsters to deal with." Asuna told her, "And we're some of the few that can handle it."

"But we'll be back." Goofy assured them.

"That's a promise." Donald added.

"You'd better." Kumo told them, "I wanna see how far you can go with your dancing."

He raised a hand to Sora, who looked at if for a second, then smiled and nodded as he answered, "Sure! We'll get better at dancing, and we'll be back to see you if we need help, okay?" He took Kumo's hand, and shook it.

Kumo slid his hand off of Sora's, and snapped his finger. "What was that?" Yui asked.

"A dancer's salute." Mizuki explained, "Why don't you and Kanon do it?"

Yui and Kanon looked to one another, then they took each other's hand, slid off of them, and snapped their fingers. "There, you got it!" Kanon complimented her. Yui chuckled gleefully at this.

"Well, then. Take care of yourselves!" Haneru told them as they all began to walk off.

"Don't forget our color, Donald!" Lui shouted out after him, with Moe saying 'boing~' following this.

"I won't!" Donald shouted back.

"See ya, folks!" Goofy ended. With everyone waving goodbye to one another, the six heroes left their sight, and called upon the Gummi ship to bring them back up.

* * *

They returned to the ship, and were starting to their seats when the crystal orb on the stand appeared, and it glowed to reveal Gretinal on it. "Mistress Gretinal!" Asuna gasped, surprised as everyone else at her sudden appearance.

"Congratulations. I see you gained the power I was hoping you would find." She told them.

"You mean the power of the Dance Stage, right?" Sora asked, "It was pretty cool to use."

"And it will continue to be useful as you progress on your journey." Gretinal told them, "You didn't think High Crowd Heartless only exist in that world, do you? They also have been appearing in other worlds. They may be rare, but they are dangerous."

"Right. We know that from experience." Asuna muttered.

"And the dance skills you have right now will not be enough." Gretinal explained, "You must further your dance abilities in order to defeat even tougher and/or larger groups of High Crowds."

"How will we do that? Do we have to come back to this world constantly?" Kirito asked.

"Not all the time. But fortunately, I have the dance studio in the list of rooms in the Switch Chamber. Go into it." Donald used the panel, and transformed the interior of the Switch Chamber. They entered in, and discovered the dance studio, which contained a wooden floor that was perfect for dance practice, along with a mirror wall, and a cassette player attached to the wall, with large speakers.

As soon as they entered in, the floor glowed, and so did they. They all glowed an aura that matched their color; red for Sora, bronze for Kirito, light blue for Asuna, green for Goofy, blue for Donald, and pink for Yui. All at once, their bodies glowed, and their garments transformed. Like Sora and Yui's, the other's looks changed quite a bit.

Asuna's long hair was tucked underneath a white beanie, with enough coming out to reach underneath her shoulders. Her attire was a crop top much like Mizuki's, only deep blue, with silver trimming and pink straps that criss-crossed around her neck, holding it up. She had blue jeans on, with her left pants leg going halfway down her thigh. She had a teal jacket tied around her waist, hanging down behind her legs. She had light blue and white tennis shoes, pink socks, and her Wayfinder was wrapped tightly around her left calf.

Kirito wore a black baseball cap like Sora's only it was frontward, and it had the design of the hilt of his Elucidator on it. He wore an open black hoodie with silver trimming, a brown tank top underneath, muddy gray pants with a tear on the left knee, and a white cloth tied around his right thigh, and black and gold combat boots. He also bore a gray bandana around his neck, and black fingerless gloves.

Donald's attire had a blue backwards cap, a blue and yellow trimmed jacket with gold buttons on the sides, multiple blue-colored shoes that matched his duck feet, gold bracelets, and a light blue bandana around his neck.

Goofy's attire made him look like a proper disco dancer, including a giant, fake black afro on his head. He wore an open white shirt with a hidden Mickey emblem attached to the side, a green undershirt with an open collar, white pants with bellbottoms, with yellow and orange stars on the legs, green and black dance shoes, and a yellow scarf around his neck.

"Our clothes changed!" Donald exclaimed, examining himself.

"Gee, this brings back memories." Goofy reminisced, scrunching his hair.

"Is this what I wear when I dance?" Asuna asked, while she and Kirito looked at themselves.

"Now that you've obtained the power of the Dance Stage, your clothing will react to the dance studio's magic, and transform them into the attire you dance in." Gretinal explained, "They are fitted to resemble the style of dance you do and give you more freedom with your movements."

"Does this jacket have to be on me?" Asuna asked, looking at the one tied around her waist.

"Doesn't really matter. If it is something I need to wear when we're dancing, might as well get use to it." Kirito stated.

"Alright, guys. Let's continue to stop the Heartless through both fighting and dancing." Sora declared, "We'll keep getting stronger and better, and show 'em the power of our hearts as one!"

"Yeah!" The team cheered in response, punching the air in declaration. With the powers they had before, the weapons at hand, and the power of Dance Stage, they knew that now, nothing could stop them as they progressed forward in the journey ahead.

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Resolute Oasis! Discoveries of Allies!**


	7. Resolute Oasis! Discoveries of Allies!

**For the next world, these are the wandering & battle themes of the world:**

 **Wandering theme:** (Final Fantasy XII OST 'The Skycity of Bhujerba')

 **Battle Theme:** (Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII 'Chaos')

* * *

 **Swiftwing Gummi Ship**

Inside the dance studio of the Switch Chamber, five of the six heroes were testing out the new dance skills they gained from the last world they visited. Using the music player in the studio, they were playing music to practice to. Currently, Kirito, Asuna and Goofy, all in Dance Stage attire thanks to the room's power, were trying to perform a dance routine together.

 _(Insert Tribe Cool Crew OST 'YEP YEP')_

At the start of the song, the trio held poses as their bodies bounced to the beat of the music. Then after about the first seven seconds, they got out of their poses, and skipped into positions as Kirito took center before the first 'yep yep' of the song. He then broke into his, what he dubbed it, Aincrad Breakdance Style, fusing the style of breakdance with his skills as a swordsman. The results were great footwork mixed with hand movements that acted like he was swinging his sword or swords. It was rather unique, and something he was trying to get the hang of, but he was determined to learn the craft.

At the next part of the song, they swapped places, and Asuna was center, demonstrating her street jazz style she learned, though there were hints of her past ballet training and skills with a rapier into her movements, putting her dance as something graceful and elegant, yet the street jazz sexiness that made Asuna dazzle in her moves.

In the next part, they swapped places again, this time with Goofy as center, showing off his Freestyle Disco dance. While he was using his own disco moves in his routine, too, he had learned more tricks to make his dance more street-style than ever. The others were worried that his new afro for his attire would be in the way. However, it seemed like Goofy was pretty use to dancing with an afro, and it didn't interrupt his dance moves in the slightest.

In the final part of the song, they came together, with Kirito in the center, and the others on either side, as they danced together in sync with one another and in rhythm of the music. They each had their moment to shine a bit as each took their turn as the center, their different dance styles complimenting one another, before striking poses as the song ended, with Asuna in the center, and the two boys on either side.

 _(Song ends)_

Sora and Yui, who were watching their dance routine, gave them a round of applause at their dance routine. "That was awesome!" Sora cheered, "All that practice is really paying off!"

"I agree!" Yui added, "Mama, papa, and Goofy, your dance skills are getting more and more flawless the more you practice."

"Thanks." Kirito thanked them, taking a bottled water they had nearby, and opening the top, "I'll admit, this is still pretty difficult to learn. But I admit, it is kinda fun to do."

"It's even more fun when we do it together." Goofy chuckled, seemingly not exhausted from the dancing.

"I think that's the best part of it all." Asuna stated, wiping her forehead with a towel, "Dancing by myself just doesn't make it fun at all. But dancing as a team…" She lowered her towel, smiling at the others, "…That just makes it so exciting to do!" The others nodded in agreement.

Just then, Donald's voice came over the PA in the room, calling out, "Guys! I see the next world from a distance."

"Looks like our next stop is approaching." Sora understood, "I can't wait to see what that world is like!" He raced out of the room, his Dance Stage attire reverting back to normal. Everyone else followed him out of the room, joining to see what new world was awaiting them.

When they arrived, they looked outside the Gummi ship to see the world beyond. It looked like a large city of sorts, the style of the buildings were a mixture between Mediterranean-style, with that of a desert kingdom, like Agrabah. It was clear, even from here, that the city was under construction, as well. In the center of the city was a castle, clearly made for royalty, and it, too, was under construction. Outside of the city were badlands, with greenery trying to pop out here and there.

"So our next world is a kingdom, huh?" Kirito understood.

"Hold on!" Yui intervened, "Doesn't that castle look familiar to you guys?"

Everyone gazed upon the castle for a second, then Sora gasped, "Yeah! That's the place where we fought Oberon!"

"Desolate Castle!" Donald recalled the name.

"I wonder who's now taken over?" Asuna asked.

Just then, a ring was going off from inside the ship, startling the team. "What's going on?" Sora asked.

"Looks like someone is trying to call us." Yui noticed, getting to her terminal, "It's coming from the surface of that world."

"Let's see who it is…" Kirito answered, "Open a channel." Yui did just that, and on the monitor was a familiar face. It was a young man's face, with messy silver hair and green eyes, wearing an orange and yellow opened jacket, with a silver collar that opened outwards, and a checkered scarf around his neck.

"Oh! It's you guys!" The young man recognized the group on the other side of the monitor. The heroes all gasped, recognizing who it was they were speaking to, as well.

"Hope!" Sora addressed the person on the monitor.

The young man, Hope, smiled as he said, "Welcome back. It's great to see you again."

"What are you doing at Desolate Castle?" Asuna asked, surprised to see him there.

"Actually, this is our new home." Hope answered, "And it's not 'Desolate Castle' anymore. Welcome to Resolute Oasis."

* * *

 **(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)**

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

 **Resolute Oasis, Airship Hangar**

Under the orders of Hope, instead of teleporting down to the surface like they usually did, Donald and Yui guided the ship down towards an open hangar bay. They brought the ship in slowly, and descended it down, until it landed safely on the landing equipment inside the hangar. They powered the ship down, and opened the hatch to the ship, revealing Hope and another familiar pair of characters. One was a middle-aged, dark-skinned man with an afro, wearing a green and black-trimmed engineer's coat with silver buttons fastening it together, khaki trousers with a black belt and a silver buckle, black boots, and a pair of holsters strapped to his thighs, where his guns were.

The other was a young lady around Asuna's age, her hair in braided twintails that reached her waist, held by red and white feathery ribbons, bangs reaching her neck on either side of her face, and a metal hairpiece underneath the back of her hair. She wore a red and black-trimmed dancer's tank top, with white frills and a silver metal collar, a poofy pair of black shorts with filigree designs on them, red strings and ribbons that held up her shorts, white stockings, red bands that crossed at her ankles, and brown leather shoes.

"Well, ain't you guys a sight for these old eyes." Greeted the man.

"Hi, there!" The young lady waved to the team.

"It's Sazh and Penelo!" Goofy recognized the faces, while Sora led the others off the ship, happily greeting the trio.

"It's so great to see you guys again!" Asuna greeted them, "But, what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Yeah. Last time we saw you guys, you were returning to your world after we defeated Oberon." Kirito recalled.

"That's true. But when we all awoke, we found ourselves in this strange land." Hope explained, "One thing we did know was that this place was not either one of our original worlds."

"It…isn't?" Sora asked, surprised.

"But I thought defeating Oberon, and closing the Door to Darkness would free all the worlds, and you guys would return to them." Kirito recalled.

"We thought so, too. We're still researching into it." Hope responded.

"The point is that this world is now our new home, and we're doing our best to reconstruct it into a functional society." Sazh explained, "Everyone is giving their all to make sure Resolute Oasis is safe and thriving."

"Oh, does that mean Light, Vaan and the others are here, too?" Asuna asked Penelo.

"Yeah. Lightning and Snow are the ones keeping an eye out for Heartless, who do seem to come up here a lot." Penelo explained, "Balthier and Fran are out searching the world for resources, as are Vanille and Fang, so they don't come around here often. And Vaan is…" she looked a little frustrated as what she was gonna say next, "…Vaan's…shirking his work to go explore."

"It's hard to keep him in line…" Sazh sighed.

"What about Ashe and Basch?" Donald asked.

"Ashe is now the town's ruler." Hope answered, "And Basch is the head of her guard."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Sora gasped.

"Well, she was a princess before coming to Yusnaan, so it made sense for her to rule." Penelo pointed out, "She wasn't totally up to the task at first, but ended up chosen by majority votes. Though there are some other person that arrived recently who are trying to get one of their own to have that job."

"Some other person?" Asuna echoed, wondering who it was.

"So are you guys still doing the same tasks as before?" Yui asked Hope.

"Yeah. I'm still researching on the Heartless and all other creatures related to them." Hope explained, "Speaking of which, I made some discoveries in the midst of when we were apart. I can update the scanner if you'd like."

"Oh, sure!" Yui answered, taking off the scanner device around her ear, and handing it to Hope.

"I'll make sure your ship is as right as rain while Penelo gives you guys a tour of the town." Sazh assured the team.

"Just be careful with it. It technically doesn't belong to us." Kirito warned him, "She'll have your head if you damage it."

"That's why we don't let you drive." Donald told Kirito and Sora, getting a 'hey!' From the two boys, while the others laughed at the mockery.

"Come on! There's so much we have to show you guys!" Penelo told the team, and she led them out of the hangar.

The area outside had several large hangars around, each big enough to fit one or two Gummi ships like theirs inside of it. "This is the main station for airships to be at." Penelo explained, "We use them for mainly storing our ships here, since half of the hangars are not in use. Let's head into town, and I'll show you more."

As they started to make their way over, Sora started, "So, if you guys were sent to this world instead of your own, were there any others that arrived here?"

"Some, though others did look like they returned to their worlds." Penelo explained, "Those Fairy Tail folks, the martial artist group, and a few others are no longer around here anymore, so their worlds probably returned to normal. But some also arrived in this world, too. Whether they were originally from this world, or they ended up whisked away like we were, we're not sure."

"Well I did meet Cure Black, White and Luminous some time after we defeated Oberon." Asuna recalled, looking to Yui, "We even met a whole lot of other people like them, too."

"Yeah! So many Precure!" Yui recalled, looking back on it.

"And get this; there's this one other group that came here by the same person who told us about the Keyholes of Bonds. I think I remember them before during our fight against Oberon."

"Wait…Mistress Gretinal sent someone here?" Goofy realized.

"But who could it be?" Donald asked.

"And why do I get the feeling it'll be someone we never expected?" Kirito questioned as they made their way out of the airship station.

They couldn't help but noticed how shabby the streets were. Despite being called an oasis, there wasn't really much to call it that. Buildings were still under development. Greenery wasn't really around in the streets, and pieces of the ruins that they encountered before when it was still Desolate Castle were lying about the place, not removed from the scene. It was clear that they were still in development of making this place hospitable.

They were making their way towards the streets that would lead them towards the West Wing of town, which according to Penelo was on the edge of the shopping district, when Heartless appeared in front of them. There were Shadows, Pogo Shovels, and a new Heartless that was the same size as Soldiers, had a ball-shaped body, a red ring wrapped around it, stubby little feet, and large arms and two-claw hands that ended up being used as his feet.

"Okay, what kind of Heartless are those things?" Kirito asked.

"Hope still has my scanner, so I can't answer." Yui pointed out.

"I think Light called them 'Talonclaws'." Penelo answered, backing off, "I think I can leave it to you guys to handle this, right?"

"Leave it to us!" Asuna answered, and the team went to work on the Heartless. The Pogo Shovels were pretty clumsy fighters, and their pounces were easy to avoid. The Talonclaws had strong kicks with their talons, and even did spins with their claws out, but were rather slow, so they were easy pickings, as well.

The team cleaned up the place of the Heartless, though one more Shadow appeared, and was taking a charge at Kirito from behind. However, just as he was about to turn and take it out, a familiar screech came from above, and a stream of bubbles came down upon the Shadow, paralyzing it. He looked up, and was startled to see a familiar, light blue feathered dragon. "That's-!" He gasped.

There was a battle cry, and they looked ahead to see another face that shocked the SAO trio. She shot forward with her dagger, which glowed a light blue light, unleashing a Rapid Bite Dagger Skill, destroying the Heartless. She sighed in relief, sheathing her dagger, and smiling as she looked at Kirito.

"Silica?!" The Black Swordsman exclaimed, seeing the familiar young ally of his in this world.

"Pina?!" Yui followed, as the said feather dragon landed on Silica's head.

Silica had a completely different look, with orange hair pieces holding her hair in pigtails. She wore a silver and brown armor chest-piece over her orange and white-trimmed sleeveless turtleneck top that exposed her belly button, short of the same color, with brown buttons holding them up, a leather belt loosely holding them up, complete with an orange sheath for her dagger, detached sleeves and leggings with buttons at the thighs and upper arms, brown, long-sleeved gloves with silver metal pieces on the end of the sleeve and fingers, and brown, wide-brimmed shoes with armored heels and toes.

"Kirito! Asuna! Yui!" Silica greeted, "It's so great to see you again! Same to you, Sora, Donald, Goofy." Pina chirped in agreement.

"Never mind that! What're you doing here?!" Asuna exclaimed, "And more importantly, how?!"

"So you guys know one another?" Penelo asked.

"Yeah. They're from Kirito and Asuna's world." Goofy answered.

"It's pretty awesome to see her again." Sora noticed, then started to put something Penelo said before together, "Wait…was she the one that Gretinal sent here?"

Kirito and Asuna looked baffled at Sora's assumption, then to Silica, Kirito asked, "Is this true?! Did Gretinal send you here?"

"Y-Yeah…" Silica answered, very nervous due to Kirito and Asuna's reaction to her being there, "Me, Liz, Klein, Agil and Sinon all arrived here."

The new that more than just Silica arrived here nearly floored the couple, and Yui was just as stunned as they were.

"But why would she send them here?!" Asuna questioned in an exasperated voice.

"I thought we weren't suppose to involve people like our friends in other worlds!" Kirito pointed out, "What the heck is going on here?!"

Just then, something in Asuna's back pocket was glowing, getting the attention of Donald as he called it out, "Look!" Everyone looked to Asuna as she pulled out a communication crystal, which was inactive until now.

"Is that like the communication crystal on the Gummi ship?" Sora asked.

"It is, but it only worked in our dimension." Yui explained.

"Well, we ARE in our dimension, so I guess it works now." Asuna understood, and she activated it to reveal Gretinal as a holographic image.

"My goodness. Do you realize you're taking your shock to seeing your friends to a tremendous level?" She questioned Kirito and Asuna.

"She's been watching us?" Sora asked in surprise.

"What's going on here?" Kirito demanded, "Why did you send our friends to this world? I thought we weren't allowed to do such things!"

"That is true in most cases. However, this world is special enough that I allowed it. Plus, they do have experience with being involved with the same trouble as you guys." Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, not denying the latter fact.

"What's more, I did seem to notice that your friends did feel left out of your adventures." Gretinal continued, "So, while you guys were in the other dimension, I decided to pop over to your world, and offer them an opportunity to help out a different world, while exposing them to new cultures and allies."

"It's true…" Silica answered, getting their attention as she looked a bit guilty at her friends' worries for them, "Mistress Gretinal said it would be okay to travel to this world, as long as we help rebuild it into a functioning society."

"But how did she do this?" Asuna asked, "If Pina is here, and you can use Dagger Skills, then she must've used the virtual world. Did she use the same trick Ansem used on us?"

"Somewhat, though it wasn't as complex as traveling to an alternate dimension." Gretinal explained, "I had some people I know build a machine that replicated the one DiZ used to bring you to Twilight Town and, using a special code that I only gave to your friends, they could create a gateway that led them to this world. I even changed their attire to fit in the environment better." Silica giggled as she did a twirl for the team, showing off her new attire, causing Pina to fly off of her for a moment.

"That's pretty incredible technology! And you created that so easily?" Kirito asked, perplexed.

"It wasn't easy at all." Gretinal retorted, "But I believed your friends were worthy enough to earn this opportunity, and it was worth making it for them."

"Wait, what about their real bodies?" Asuna asked, "Will they be able to return to them?"

"Of course, I did! I'm not like Ansem." Gretinal stated, "If you want proof, why not go to Liz's Blacksmith shop to see the machine?"

"Liz has a blacksmith shop here, too?!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Yeah. She's actually learning smithing from those creatures you call Moogles, here." Silica explained, "Come on, we'll show you where it is!" She turned and raced down the street, leaving the heroes to look at one another, wondering how something like this happened.

"Well, I'd better leave the rest of the explaining to your friends. Good luck!" With that, Gretinal's image vanished, and the crystal stopped glowing.

"Gretinal sure is funny!" Goofy chuckled.

"It's like she just does things by her own whim." Asuna sighed, feeling drained from this shock.

"Still, I would like to see everyone else again." Sora told them, "Let's go see them!" Kirito and Asuna looked to one another. As worried as they were for their friends, questioning right now whether it was good or bad for them to come here was not gonna get them anywhere. For now, they decided to reunite with their friends, and followed Silica to the blacksmith.

* * *

It didn't take the team very long to arrive to the smithy. When they entered, they saw that the majority of those who were told were here were already there. Lisbeth was right behind the counter of the blacksmith shop, with a pair of Moogles helping her out. Liz's attire had changed just like Silica's, wearing something more befitting of a blacksmith rather than a fighter. Her red and white colors were the same, though she had more frills, from her collar, to her skirt and poofy sleeves, to the ends of her long-sleeved white gloves, which had ribbons attached to the ends, as well. She wore a thin red ribbon choker, a necktie, and a brown belt with a silver buckle around her waist. As for her footwear, she had long brown boots with light brown straps.

Sinon and Klein were also there as customers, wearing new attire as well. Sinon's hair wasn't blue like in ALO or GGO, but her normal black hair, and she even wore glasses, like she did in real life. Her attire consisted of a light green open top with straps around her upper arms, and a mini crop top underneath that exposed her midriff, light green cloth pieces that wrapped around her waist, and went down the out parts of her legs towards her knees, held by blue belts, blue short shorts, black long boots with silver metal pieces on her front and heels, black fingerless gloves, with black, white and green cloth wristguards, and a blue scarf with metal piece fastening it around her neck, as well as on the two ends of the scarf. On her back, she had a dark green quiver with an assortment of arrows.

As for Klein, his attire was similar to all other attires he wore; looking like a samurai than anything. His black bandana around his messy brown hair had a yellow emblem on it. His garb was mostly red, black and brown, with yellow trimmings and white cloths bounding around his arms, wrists and waist, fastened by metal pieces, and a few pieces of leather armor. He had baggy gray pants on, along with knee-high boots with red stripes at the feet and metal pieces there, as well.

The trio heard the team entered, and turned to see the familiar faces. "Kirito, my man!" Klein greeted eagerly.

"Hey, Asuna, Yui!" Liz greeted as well, "Surprised to see us?"

"Sora, Goofy, Donald. Good to see you guys, too." Sinon called out to the last three.

"Hey, there." Sora greeted.

"Guess, you're all here, after all…" Kirito sighed, "But where's Agil?"

"Working at a different shop in this town." Klein answered, "It's actually a bar and an apothecary. You should go check up on him."

"I will." Kirito answered.

"So, where's this device that sent you guys here, in the first place?" Asuna asked, looking about.

"Just in the back room." Liz answered, poking a thumb behind her to the door that led to the said room, "Only a handful of people know about it apart from us, mainly the Oasis Restoration Committee, or the O.R.C, for short."

"Orc? A restoration group that's named after a destructive monster?" Kirito questioned.

"Yeah, we found it weird, too." Silica admitted.

"But even so, why did you guys end up coming here?" Asuna asked, "I know you felt a bit envious about our world traveling, but we did it so you wouldn't be in these messes."

"Don't worry about it." Sinon assured her, "It's not like we haven't been in dangerous situations before."

"And we're not just talking about SAO, either." Liz pointed out, "There's the time Aincrad was sent to the other dimension. Then those Heartless and Unversed attacking Saitama."

"Oh, and let's not forget we helped in that big war against Oberon, too!" Klein added, "Face it. We've been flung into this for a while, now."

Kirito looked down for a moment, seeing the point he was making.

"They do have a point." Goofy admitted.

"Yeah, Kirito, Asuna. You guys don't have to worry about them here." Sora assured them, "I mean, Light, Snow and the others are helping them out, right?"

"Heck yeah!" Klein answered eagerly, "In fact, Sinon and I have been helping Miss Lightning and Snow in patrolling the city and taking out any Heartless that are around." He sighed and looked up with a daydreaming expression, "She has the whole package. She's strong and beautiful when she's taking out Heartless. And her cold yet focused demeanor just adds to her charm. Why hadn't I met her sooner?"

"As you can tell, Klein's head over heels for her…" Liz whispered to Asuna.

"It's a lost cause…" Asuna muttered back.

"Ah, let him daydream. He'll figure it out." Liz assured her.

"So, you guys are all able to fight in this world, too?" Kirito asked Sinon.

"You make it sound like we weren't preparing ourselves for the worst." She retorted, taking a green compound bow that was next to a sheathed katana on the front desk table, "Mistress Gretinal created new avatar figures for us before we arrived, along with allowing us to access skills like we use in ALO. Though, we can't use magic or fly, but we're not complaining."

"It almost feels like we went back to SAO all over again…" Silica compared, "But this time, we can actually log out."

"Thank goodness for that." Kirito sighed in relief.

"So, what do you do around here, Silica?" Yui asked, while Klein took his katana off of the table.

"Pina and I are helping out with deliveries and guidance around town." She explained, while the feathered dragon rested on her head, "We're doing more small tasks here and there."

"That sounds easy." Donald stated.

"It is, but I sometimes want something a little more challenging…" Silica admitted, "I'm still constantly treated like a little kid compared to everyone else."

"You'll get your chance." Sora assured her, causing her to smile and nod in response.

"And I'm to assume that you're running this shop?" Asuna asked Liz.

"Yep. You're looking at the brand new, IRL Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop!" She answered, putting her hands on her hips in pride, "It's not as easy as the virtual world, but I've been learning. Especially with these guys…"

By 'these guys', she meant what was flying down from the second floor above her; Moogles. Three of them, to be exact.

"That is right, kupo~." One of them sung as they surrounded Liz.

"Mog and Gretinal may have convinced us to help, but this is still one of our Moogle Shops, too, kupo." The second one pointed out.

"It's still irritating that you would put your name on the shop and not ours, kupo!" The third one argued, "This is the thanks we get for helping you in teaching our ways, kupo?"

Lisbeth, her expression getting more irritable with every sentence they said, finally walked forward, and turned with a stomp to the Moogles, barking, "Yeah, but you guys have no finesse in running a business! Your cutesy attitude towards this shop won't get you far. I, on the other hand, can run this shop, make it successful, mature, and never have a disappointed customer. So zip your whiny mouths!" The three Moogles were terrified by her stern, business-girl expression. Clearly, despite her learning from them, she was the boss in this shop.

"Wow, and here I thought Uncle Scrooge was a tough businessman…" Donald muttered, sort of frightened.

"She isn't as greedy, but she's just as determined for success." Kirito noted, "I can't say I don't feel sorry for those Moogles."

Liz cleared her throat after dealing with the little fairies, and turned with an innocent smile to the others as she continued, "So, back to what I was saying, I have learned new techniques in blacksmithing, including item synthesizing and even new ways of improving your Keyblades, too."

"Really?!" The three Keyblade wielders exclaimed, startling the blacksmith owner.

"Y-Yeah… I learned from the Moogles that they knew how to upgrade and modify Keyblades."

"But, I never even HEARD of that being done before!" Sora pointed out, "You're saying I could've upgraded my Keyblades before, and none of the Moogles mentioned this to me?!"

"W-We only started to learn about it ourselves, kupo…" Moogle #1 stammered.

"Yeah…It started with this one Moogle who was working for this shady group." Moogle #3 explained, "He said something about 'Gear' modifications, and we ended up experimenting on that, eventually learning to simplify the technique, and allow us to upgrade Keyblades through materials. Why don't you allow us to show you, kupo. Start by handing us all the materials you guys found up till now."

The heroes took out all the material they found, and placed it on the counter. Liz and the Moogles all took them, and placed them in a storage compartment that glowed a bit. "With this, we can use the materials no matter where you are, kupo." Moogle #2 explained.

"Now, for upgrading your Keyblades." Liz continued, "Kirito, why don't you start us off by handing me yours?"

"Why me?" Kirito asked.

"Because I said so, now hand me your Keyblade." Liz held out her hand, beckoning Kirito to handing over his weapon, who looked hesitant, but decided to trust her. He produced his Elucidator, and placed it on the table, and Liz took it in both hands delicately.

"Let me see what this one needs…" She started, and she examined the medallion of the Keyblade carefully. The Moogles all surrounded her, examining the Keyblade as well.

"Looks like Flourite and Wellspring Shards, kupo." Moogle #2 noticed.

"We have six Flourites, as well as an abundance of Wellspring Shards, kupo." Moogle #1 noted, "If we split them amongst the three Keyblade wielders, we can upgrade each Keyblade two times!"

"Then let's get started." Liz declared, and she pulled out a blacksmith hammer, and took the Keyblade and materials to a part of the shop no one could see. From the customer's perspectives, they could hear the sound of clanging metal, the sight of something shining, and the grunts from Liz every once and a while. After all was said and done, Liz came back with the Keyblade, placing it on the table in front of the heroes. "There you are. Pick it up, and see if you can feel a difference." She instructed him.

Kirito took his Keyblade, examining it. For a moment, he couldn't tell the difference. However, after a second, he could feel something. "Yeah…there does seem to be a different feeling to it than before." He admitted, "It feels stronger."

"Yes! It worked!" Liz declared, "Not bad for my first time! Glad it worked out…"

After a second, Kirito exclaimed, "Wait, my Keyblade was a test to see if you could do it?!"

"Do you see any other Keyblade wielders in this town?" Liz asked, "I'm just glad it ended up easy to do. Otherwise, who knows what might've happened." Kirito really felt like he was used as a guinea pig for her, and feared what would've happened if it didn't work out.

"So, now that I have the technique down, time to move onto the rest of you guys." Liz started, looking to Sora and Asuna, "Hand me your Keyblades." The two handed Liz the Lambent Light and Shooting Star Keyblades. She brought them to the back room, gathering the materials she needed, and started to work her magic behind walls. After a good while, she returned the Keyblades to their owners, who felt their Keyblades strength and magic power improved through her work.

"Thanks for the improvements!" Sora thanked Lisbeth.

"No prob. Thanks for the materials." She responded, "And hey, anytime you guys need an upgrade or need and item synthesized, let me know. It'll help me improve my skills if I keep doing those kinds of things."

"Sure thing, Liz. We'll come back to give you the materials we've gathered when we can." Asuna assured her.

"Actually, we sent up holo-shops in every world, so you can speak to us anytime, kupo." Moogle #1 explained.

"That works out well." Kirito answered.

"Come on. I wanna show you more of the city!" Silica told the team, "We'll make it to Agil's bar, but we'll be stopping by a few places along the way there." Pina chirped in response to this.

"Sounds like a plan." Yui agreed.

"We'll get back to patrolling." Klein told Kirito, lightly punching him on the shoulder, "See you 'round, Kirito."

"Yeah. Don't do anything stupid." The black swordsman answered.

"It's already too late for that." Sinon stated, walking past the two boys and out the door.

"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?!" Klein demanded, racing after her. Everyone watched the two leave, still arguing outside. Asuna couldn't help but laugh a bit as they did. They said their farewell to Liz, and left with Silica and Pina in the lead.

"So, where is Agil's bar?" Asuna asked as they walked.

"It's in the Eastern Quarter of the city." Silica answered, "We'll be stopping by a few places along the way. I do have some deliveries to take care of…"

* * *

They hadn't even walked a minute from Liz's Blacksmith Shop before Kirito and Asuna heard someone call out, "Well, look what the cat dragged in." The voice was familiar, and the two turned to see someone they did not expect. She had brown eyes and curly golden-brown hair underneath the hood of her brown and taupe jacket with green trimmings. She also had her familiar whisker marks on her face, too. She had a black, white and light green top with a large green turtleneck, her midriff exposed, but she had black straps crossing down her sides. She also had beige pants with brown pieces at the ends, two belts that crossed one another, with two satchels attached to one. As for footwear, she had brown and white shoes.

"Is that…?" Asuna started.

"Argo!" Kirito exclaimed, surprised the most to see her.

"Long time, no see, Kii-bou, Aa-chan." The girl greeted the pair, walking up to them.

"I didn't expect you to be here, as well." Kirito noted, looking to Silica and Pina, "Why is she here? She wasn't involved in the other events."

"No, but she ended up getting the info out of us." Silica explained, "Or, to be more accurate, she got it out of Klein."

"That guy needed some details on this one female Player he was interested in, so I gave him some personal info I gathered in exchange for this crazy story." Argo explained, snickering a bit, "Too bad the info didn't work in his favor. Girl thought he was a stalker and nearly got in trouble for it. Got what he deserved, if you asked me." Asuna and Silica nodded in agreement.

"So, who is this girl?" Sora asked, "Another friend from your world?"

"Yeah. This is Argo." Kirito introduced her, "Back when we were trapped in SAO, she was an information broker."

"She…breaks information?" Sora questioned, which was answered with a couple of looks that expressed 'how stupid are you?'.

"No. An Info Broker buys and sells information to people." Yui explained, "Papa told me that he had so much help from Argo during SAO thanks to the info she sold to him."

"Glad to see you sing my name in high praise, Kii-bou." Argo told the black swordsman, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "I already got info from you about Yui, though. Can't believe a AI ended up becoming a real-life person, though. That part you did leave out, along with anything else involving this crazy quest you're on."

"It's really suppose to be a secret. Plus, we didn't want to get you involved." Asuna explained.

"Welp, too bad. My curiosity peaked at this info, so I wanted to learn more. One thing led to another, and I was introduced to Gretinal, who allowed me to come to this place as an info broker for this place."

"So, you're now buying and selling info here, too?" Kirito asked.

"Yep. Materials, locations of treasures, enemies, characters, I can buy and sell all sorts of things to you guys." Argo explained, "I'm always in the neighborhood, so if you need anything, or have any info to sell, then I'll strike a deal with you guys."

"That'll work for us." Sora understood, looking to the others, "I bet we'll find all sorts of things from other worlds to sell to her."

"It would be beneficial for us to get info we don't know about from her. She is fair on her prices." Kirito explained.

Suddenly, Jiminy hopped out of Sora's pocket, adding, "And I can store any information we get or can give to her on the Gummiphone, too." The team nodded in agreement to this.

"Speaking of which, I should ask for a bit of info on these folks I haven't met yet." Argo started, looking to Sora, Donald, Jiminy, and finally Goofy. She stopped talking when she saw him, then made a cat-like scream and leapt away from him, surprising the team.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked, confused at her reaction.

"Wh-What's wrong?! I was not told one of your friends was a dog!" Argo exclaimed, scared at the sight of him.

"Oh… I forgot you can't stand dogs." Kirito recalled, looking to the captain of the guard, "Sorry, but she might need to take some time before she's comfortable around you, Goofy."

"But why? Goofy's a friend!" Sora argued.

"Yeah! He may be slow, but he's not a threat!" Donald argued.

"But I move faster than you, Donald." Goofy pointed out, oblivious to what he actually meant.

"See?" Kirito told Argo, "Goofy's not a danger to you or anyone, as long as you're not using Heartless or something like them."

"Nyaa… I'll still keep my distance, all the same." She answered hesitantly, slowly creeping back to the team, "So, mind getting me info on you guys. I'll buy it off of you, too, if the info is good." Jiminy handed the Gummiphone over to Argo, who actually had her own Gummiphone made by Hope. They traded information to one another, and after examining it, decided the info was good enough for 2000 munny. It would have been more, but she felt like she wasn't able to make anything from the info of anyone from the other dimension who wasn't involved with the one they were in. She did, however, get one bit of info from one world that worked.

"EEEH?! Yuuki's alive?!" Silica exclaimed, after hearing what Argo read out loud.

"Yeah, we were pretty surprised ourselves." Asuna admitted.

"We're still trying to wrap our heads around HOW she ended up reviving in another world." Kirito stated.

"Well, I'm glad our Zekken is doing okay in the other world." Argo stated, closing the deal on the info she bought, "I'll be able to use this for some good trading. And for an added bonus, I do have something that I'll give to you guys." She pulled out a glowing sphere from her pocket, handing it over to the heroes.

"What's this?" Sora asked, taking the sphere.

"Record Spheres. They're basically little videos of what we've experienced." Argo explained, "This one was made at the day we arrived. Check it out…" She held it up high, and the sphere shined brightly, striking the very minds of the team.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_ Inside the room behind Liz's Blacksmith shop, the scene showed the only people in there being Mistress Gretinal, Lightning, and Snow.

Both Lightning and Snow were wearing new attire, with the former wearing black leather-looking chestpiece with a white high collar, white and gold-trimmed cloth pieces hanging from each of her shoulders like capes, a white cape piece with a pocket that protruded from the lower left-hand side of her chestpiece, going to her ankle, a white miniskirt with a gold belt hidden underneath her chestpiece, pointed black heels with filigree leggings that went up to her knees, a gold leg ornament on her right thigh, and light brown leather gloves. She also had her mechanical-looking red, black and silver sword underneath her leg cape, and a red and yellow shield on her upper-left arm.

Snow's attire was much cleaner than it was before, with his short, blond, swept-back spiky hair exposed instead of his bandana before, and his beard slightly shorter. He had on a dark red shirt underneath a dark gray trench coat with frayed hems and an arm piece on his left arm.. He had dark gray jeans with a leather belt and silver buckle, black and light gray shoes with silver buckles on the back, black gloves that zipped up, and the same pendant that he wore before around his neck.

They were all staring at a large, cylindrical machine that was hi-tech, with a computer with three terminals on it. Sitting at the computer was a short elderly-looking figure. He had a single tuft of white hair that stuck upwards like will-o-wisp on his head, his eyes were hidden by black rimmed glasses with blue, spiraled lenses, and his mouth only had one rectangular tooth sticking out. He had on a white lab coat fastened by two buttons, a red shirt underneath, and floppy brown shoes.

"Is this thing suppose to work, lady?" Snow asked, examining the machine, "I know you said it was made from a genius, but I'm still not sure having this old kook make it was a good idea."

"Are you insinuating that I don't know who to trust to make such devices?" Gretinal questioned Snow, giving him a warning glare that could send chills down anyone's spine, even Lightning's, based on how she averted looking at her, "Need I remind you that without me and my friends, you guys wouldn't have gotten this far in rebuilding this town…"

"Hey, can't a guy be a little suspicious about some things?" Snow asked, backing away from the Keyblade Master in defense, "I'm just saying this guy might have a few screws loose. So I'm just making sure."

"Well, I do know Elvin is…eccentric, but his intelligence is not one to be questioned." Gretinal stated, "Speaking of which, I believe our guests should be arriving soon. Is the transporter ready?"

"Ooh, don't you worry, Gretty. I'm just activating it as we speak." Elvin answered, tapping away at the computer with great speeds. The machine started to whir and whistle, lights from its exterior started to light up, followed by the hollowed interior's ceiling and sides. Finally, after a few seconds of this, a light shined from the center area, and stumbling out of the machine first, into the room, was Klein. He was followed closely by Liz, Sinon, Silica, Pina, Agil, and finally, Argo.

Agil was also in new attire, wearing an iron-colored chest plate with orange trimmings, complete with a shoulder guard on his left shoulder, a green and black long-sleeved shirt underneath, a brown and orange leather waistguard and belt, black pants, and steel-toed boots with its' leather matching his waistguard's texture and color. The same was said about his armguards. His two-handed battle-axe was on his back.

"Jeez, that trip was trippy." Klein stated, looking behind him to see everyone else and the machine.

"Looks like we all arrived in one piece." Agil noted, looking down himself, "And in new attire, too."

"Whoa! That's neat!" Liz exclaimed, looking at her dress, "I didn't even notice the change from our fairy looks to this."

"Err… I don't usually show this much skin, though…" Silica noted, noting her skimpy top. She then noticed Pina landing on her head, looking down at her and chirping, causing her to ignore her attire and added, "But at least Pina came with us."

Sinon pulled off her glasses, noting, "I even have my glasses? Are they for authenticity to my real-life look?"

"That is exactly what it is." Gretinal answered, getting the team's attention, "I had some help, but I adjusted your avatar's appearances to fit into this environment. In any case, welcome to the Resolute Oasis, children."

"So…this is really IRL?" Argo asked, looking about, then flexing her fingers, "Guess I do feel more texture here than I do in the virtual world. This is pretty freaky…"

"I still made sure you guys had your weapons on you." Gretinal explained, indicating the team's weapons, including Liz's mace and shield that were attached to her belt, as well as Argo's claws. They inspected their weapons as Gretinal continued, "That being said, the only powers from the virtual world that were transferred with you were your weapon skills. Magic, abilities, and even your wings, were all left behind. You wanna learn how to use the powers outside of your world, you're gonna have to learn it from them." She indicated Lightning and Snow next to her.

"Hey there. So you're from the same world as Kirito, Asuna and Yui?" Snow asked, stepping forward to meet them.

"Yeah. We sort of saw one another during that big fight, right?" Klein asked, looking from Snow to Lightning. He looked enamored at the sight of her beauty.

"That's true, but we never had proper introductions." The blonde-haired man stated, "I'm Snow Villers. This here's Lightning, but she prefer's Light." Snow paused for a response from Klein, who was still distracted by Light.

"Is something the matter?" Light asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Those that knew him, however, kinda felt what was gonna happen next

Sure enough, Klein bowed his head to Lightning with his hand raised out as he greeted, "Hello! I'm Klein! I'm 25, single and looking for a-." Before he could finish, he ended up slammed over the head by Liz's shield, making him hit the floor, startling those who didn't know him.

"That's enough out of you, ya moron!" Liz growled.

"Honestly, he's so dense…" Sinon sighed, shaking her head.

"You wanna make a bad first impression for us?" Agil questioned him.

"And this was shortly after that info I sold got him nearly arrested." Argo noted, while Silica merely gave an awkward giggle at this.

"Sorry about him. He…has issues." Liz apologized, looking down at Klein, who clasped his hands over the injury.

"Not the first person I dealt with that was this stupid." Lightning admitted, giving a secretive side look at Snow, knowing his blunt behavior.

"Anyways, I'm Lisbeth. Call me Liz." The blacksmith introduced herself, putting away her shield and raising a hand to Lightning, who took it and shook.

"I'm Silica. This is my partner, Pina." The dragon tamer followed, while her partner chirped in greeting.

"Sinon." The markswoman said simply.

"I'm Agil. A pleasure." The bar owner greeted.

"And I'm Argo." The info broker finished.

"They are all reliable allies of Kirito, Asuna and Yui's world." Gretinal told Snow and Light, "I'm sure you can find jobs that best suit their abilities in this town."

"We'll get them together with the others and see what we can do with them." Snow assured her, looking from her to Light, who nodded in confirmation, before looking back at the new group of allies for the O.R.C. _(Flashback ends)_

* * *

The Record Sphere ended, bringing everyone back to the present once more. "That was a crazy feeling." Yui noted.

"It was like we were right there with them." Donald stated.

"I know. These Record Spheres are pretty dang impressive." Argo praised, looking at the Sphere, then handing it over to Kirito, "I usually find more records like those, and they are found everywhere in this world, taping all kinds of scenes without people knowing. When I find them, I do sell them to others if they want it. I'll keep any good ones involving our gang for you guys, but you gotta have the munny to see them. It is technically information, even ones that might be fun to watch."

Silica looked a little trepidatious as she asked, "Please tell me you won't be selling ones that will be embarrassing to us? I would much rather that if situations like that show up, I don't want anyone to see me in them."

"Sorry, Sil-chan, but business is business. Unless you can buy it off of me before Ki-bou here does, then it's just business."

Silica looked flustered as she looked hesitantly to Kirito, who demanded, "Why am I being singled out for buying something like that?!"

"I dunno. Maybe it's because you end up in those kinds of situations with those girls?" Argo answered, "My reliable sources back home do let me know."

Asuna and Silica both blushed, wondering who these 'reliable sources' were, and how much did she know. Sora, Donald and Goofy were wondering what these 'situations' were. Kirito placed a hand over his face, shaking at Argo's misguided understanding of what really happened during those times.

"Just come back and give me more intel about other worlds in this dimension, and I'll give you guys info and records on things." Argo told the group, "Pleasure doing business with ya."

"Yeah. Thanks, Argo…" Kirito sighed, walking away, already mentally drained from the last minute. And this was only one of the stops on their way.

* * *

In their next stop, which was a minute walk from where they encountered Argo, they ended up in Magia Street, a place that, according to Silica, housed many kinds of people who studied a bit of magic. She also explained that the team was also learning a bit of magic themselves.

"Thanks to Vanille and Penelo training us, we've been learning a bit of magic each." Silica explained, "I can use the Water spell, Liz is handy with Thunder, Sinon can use Aero, and Argo's learning Gravity."

"What about Agil and Klein?" Yui asked, "Won't they learn?"

"Knowing Klein, he's probably not learning magic because of his 'samurai' code of honor, or something…" Kirito muttered, recalling what he is like.

"He has actually learned the Flamestrike technique from Sazh." Silica explained, "And Agil is learning a bit of Earth magic, but he tends to stick to his duties as a bar owner."

"I didn't know there was such a thing as earth magic." Sora noted, looking to Donald, "Did you know about such magic?"

"A bit, but it isn't as well known as other magic." Donald explained, "Never really payed attention to it."

"It kinda fits him, what with him being a Gnome fairy class back in ALO." Asuna pointed out.

"Here's the next destination." Silica told the team, and they stopped at another building, which had a golden-colored iron gate around a large shop, with an archway over the path to the store. It was a two-floor building, and it was a light-colored, welcoming place, with a glass prism on the central part of the roofing. Over the front door was the name 'Maho-Dou Magic Shop' on it.

"Hey, does this place look familiar?" Sora asked, looking up at the store.

"Yeah. Doesn't it kinda look like that store in Yusnaan with those little witch girls?" Goofy recalled.

"The DoReMi shop!" Donald recalled the name of the store, too.

"Yeah. It does feel like that…" Kirito muttered, looking up at the store.

As the team drew closer to the door, the door flung open, and out shot a familiar character. It looked like green blobby figure with beady eyes and a rather large mouth, with a single spiral of hair on her head, riding a dust pan. However, the heroes recognized her as the cursed witch, Patina.

"It's you kids!" She barked, flying directly into Kirito and Sora's faces, startling the pair, "You and those friends of yours both ran out on your bills before you paid them!"

"P-Patina!" Sora stammered, scared slightly at her.

"Ran off? What are you talking about?" Kirito asked.

"Do I need to remind you?" Patina grimaced, pulling out a list with a snap of her finger, "Helping you wake that girl up from her sleep, AND granting your three friends the power of the Soul Drive! And with the period of time you haven't paid, it's only increased. Now, it should be around 560,000 munny."

"WHAAAAAT?!" The six exclaimed in shock at the ridiculous price they owe.

"But we don't even have CLOSE to that amount on us!" Asuna argued.

"Not my problem!" Patina retorted, turning her head in ignorance, "You'd better start working here until you pay off your debt!"

"Come on!" Sora grimaced, looking a bit dismayed at this.

"PATINA!" Shouted a group of young voices from behind, causing the cursed frog to sweat a bit. Everyone looked around to see four familiar faces. One of them was a small fairy lady, the size of Yui in her Pixie form. The other three were girls who were about eight years old, dressed in childish witch attires. The central character was dressed in pink, and had red hair tied into chignon buns. The one on her right was a girl in orange, her brown hair was held in a ponytail, held by an orange bow, with a long fringe on the right side of her face. The one on the left side was dressed in blue, and she had dark blue hair curling outward behind her. The team recognized the fairy as Laralie, and the three girls as Dori, Reanne, and Mirabelle, respectively.

"We already chose not for them to pay for anything!" The fairy lady told Patina, "After all the trouble they went through for us, they deserve that at least."

"Hmph! They may have gotten us out of that world, but that doesn't mean our world's returned yet." Patina argued, "We're still stuck here."

"But that doesn't mean many other worlds have been saved." Dori noted, "We even got access way back to the Witch World again."

"Plus, one of our friends did return, too." Reanne added.

"So I'd say they deserve havin' their debt scrapped into the trash can like it should have been." Mirabelle finished.

Patina looked stubborn, and didn't want to admit that they were right. However, one look at the four, and she growled, "Don't look at me like that… Alright, fine! But I'm still keeping fifty percent of that fee to those friends of yours!"

"So, you guys ended up not able to return to your world, too?" Sora asked the girls, who shook their heads.

"First Lightning and Vaan's gangs, and now them?" Kirito muttered, in deep thought, "Why are so many worlds still not returned to normal?"

"Maybe…they're asleep?" Asuna assumed, "They could be in the realm between, like all those other worlds we visited in the Mark of Mastery."

"Or it could be something else entirely." Kirito pointed out, "Something really doesn't add up…"

"So, who's this new friend of yours?" Donald asked.

"That would be me." Answered a voice. They all turned to see a new girl, also in the same witch-like attire as the other girls. She was as young as them, dressed in purple, and her purple eyes were a bit different from her colleagues. Underneath her witch's hat, her deep purple hair was about chin-length, with a part of it held in a curled side-tail, held by a scrunchie, and her forelocks curved inward to frame her face.

"Hello." She greeted the team of heroes as she approached, "I'm Ellie Craft. I guess I should be thanking you for helping me."

"Ellie was actually in the Witch World when our world was taken over by the Heartless." Laralie explained, "She said it was sealed off from the Human World to prevent the darkness from going through. Fortunately, they ended up making a connection with this shop, and she came through."

"It's a shame, but I guess I'll have to put my idol career on hold until we can return back." Ellie sighed, "Or maybe I can start a career, here."

"Oh, you're an idol?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah. She's pretty popular at home." Reanne explained.

"That sounds nice." Donald stated.

Silica cleared her throat, and magically produced a decent-sized package for Patina, "I was told this was for you guys and your shop, and the delivery was just recently prepared to be sent, so I brought it here as fast as I could."

"Ah! That's more like it!" Patina responded eagerly, "With this, the store can bring in a whole bunch of customers, raking in the dough!" She cackled mischievously at this.

"What kinds of things do you sell here?" Sora asked, "Can you do Soul Drives and Finishers like you did before?"

"We do, but we do sell magic-based products, as well." Dori explained, "Wands, Fans, accessories, you name it."

"Yeah. Since Liz's Blacksmith shop is focused on Shields, Fans, armors and other physical-based things, this shop focuses more on the magical-based objects." Silica explained.

"Well, it's a shame our powers have altered since we last met." Kirito told them, "None of us use Soul Drives or their Finishers. Asuna, Yui and I are using a new power called Soul Burst."

"Soul Burst?" Ellie asked, confused.

"Do you know about that power, Patina?" Dori asked, looking at the green blob, who had a dumb-founded expression, "Uh… Patina?"

"I SPENT ALL THAT PURCHASING FOR NOTHING?!" She exclaimed, startling the rest of the team. Her eyes went blank, and she passed out.

"Oh, no!" Laralie as the three witch apprentices nearest to her gathered about her.

"This…might cause our shop to be closed for a bit." Mirabelle told the others, "Might wanna come back when Patina recovers."

"Sure…" Sora answered, as the six heroes, along with Silica and Pina, left the girls to move to their next destination.

* * *

After some walking, including a bit of Heartless fighting in the process, the team ended up at their next destination. It was a building that looked like a mid-1800s style building that looked similar to ones found in Traverse Town. However, there was a sign hanging in front of it, which had an apple core surrounded by slices that took a fan form, with the name 'The Diced Apple' on it.

"This is Agil's shop." Silica told the team, pulling out a pair of packages via magic, "It's actually both a bar and an apothecary."

"A what?" Sora asked, confused by the term.

"A place that sells medicines, like potions and ether." Yui explained.

"I didn't know Agil was into making medicine." Asuna noted.

"He doesn't." Kirito retorted, looking to the sign, "And I doubt he would name the place into something like the 'Diced Apple'."

They entered into the building. The interior had a half-and-half look, with many wooden tables and chairs filling up the majority of the place for customers at the bar, including a bar stand, where Agil was standing behind, checking inventory. However, there was another stand in another section of the interior, with several shelves containing jars and such filled with herbs and liquids of sorts, and containers containing fruits, herbs and powdered ingredients.

Standing behind that area was a young lady, around her late teens, with an average height and petite build. She had green eyes and short, bright red hair. Her attire consisted of a red-orange dress with flower patterns on her top, and gold trimmings on her skirt, with gold buttons on the waist. She had a white shirt underneath with poofy sleeves and gold cufflinks, and a golden medallion on her chest with a red-orange ribbon on it. She had yellow, stripped leggings underneath, and brown leather work boots. Around her neck was a yellow scarf, with the tails going down her back.

At the jingling of the bell signaling them, Agil and the young lady turned to the door to see who was coming in. "Well, look who finally showed up." Agil noticed the six heroes, "Surprised to see us here?"

"The surprise wore off after seeing the rest of you guys." Kirito answered, "But I am not surprised to see your bar empty."

"Hey, it's not totally empty." Agil argued, poking a thumb at someone in the corner. A young man was there, with short, spiky black hair, yellow cat-like eyes, and a scar on his forehead. He wore a gray and dark gray short-sleeved jacket that looked on the formal side, a black untuck shirt underneath, gray pants with light green fastens around the pockets, and dark gray and black boots.

He was sipping his alcoholic drink when he noticed he was being watched, and raised a hand at the heroes, who waved back at him. "He's a usual customer here." Agil explained, "Apparently, he's suppose to be a royal messenger of sorts, but he's also her bodyguard." He looked to the red-headed girl, who approached the team at this moment.

"I take it that these are those friends you spoke so much about?" She asked Agil, looking to the heroes.

"Yep. Half of them are from my world." Agil explained, "That'd be Kirito, Asuna and Yui, here. The others are their friends, Sora, Donald and Goofy."

"Nice to meet you." Kirito greeted.

"Hey, there." Sora followed.

"Nice to meet you." The young lady greeted the group, "My name is Shirayuki. I'm currently running the apothecary."

"So while Liz and the witch apprentices handle armors and weapons, the healing supplies are your department." Kirito summed up, to which Shirayuki nodded in response to this.

"She actually hand-makes the potions and such here." Agil explained.

"You make them?" Asuna asked, amazed, "What did you do in your own world?"

"I'm an herbalist. A court herbalist, to be exact." The young lady answered.

"Yeah, she and the Master are pretty close." The cat-eyed man suddenly approached the team without them noticing, "And by 'Master', I mean the prince of a country from our world, Zen."

"Wow! So you both work for a prince?" Sora asked the two of them.

"Yeah. I'm Obi, the Master's messenger." The young man introduced himself, "I also serve as the misses guard when the Master isn't around to do the job for her."

"Sounds like he cares a lot about you." Asuna noted to Shirayuki, who blushed at the words.

"Donald and Goofy both serve King Mickey, so I guess they understand, too." Sora noted, looking to his friends.

"Yep. I'm the Captain of the King's guard." Goofy declared.

"And I'm his royal magician!" Donald added pompously.

"A magician, eh?" Obi chuckled, "Never had anyone like that in our world."

"So your world was also lost, too?" Kirito asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah. Our world ended up swallowed by darkness, and when we came to, we ended up here." Shirayuki explained, looking sad at this, "It was just me, Zen, Mitsuhide, Kiki and Obi who ended up here. No one else…"

"I'm sorry…" Asuna apologized.

"So where are these other guys you mentioned?" Sora asked.

"They're at the castle right now. Zen's actually the Master I was talking about." Obi explained, "He didn't seem to keen on the idea, but Mitsuhide was insistent."

"Knowing Zen, he probably found a way to escape him and is exploring the place." Shirayuki chuckled, looking to the heroes, "I'll introduce you to them sometime."

"I would like to meet him, too." Yui answered.

"Well, here's your packages." Silica told Agil and Shirayuki, both containing the signs that said 'fragile' in bold lettering.

"Thanks, Silica." Agil thanked her.

"These are just the ingredients I needed. Thank you." Shirayuki followed.

"You guys should come back later." Agil told the team, "Shirayuki can even make teas that can heal you just as good as the usual stuff, and even taste good, too."

"We'll give it a shot when we have the chance." Asuna assured them, "Let's keep moving, guys."

"Right. See ya!" Sora waved goodbye as Silica led the team out of the store.

"Stay safe, Agil." Kirito added. Agil nodded in assurance as the door closed behind.

As they wandered away from the place, Kirito stopped, looking a concerned about something. Everyone else stopped and looked to him. "What's up?" Asuna asked him.

"It's just…with so many people in this world who have lost their own worlds, it makes me wonder if their worlds were not restored yet, or if something worse happened." Kirito's words sunk into the team, making them just as concerned as he was.

"I'm betting Gretinal might know about something." Jiminy Cricket popped out of Sora's jacket, "After all, based on that scene we saw from that Record Crystal, she has been helping the residence of this world out with getting things set up."

"And knowing her, she might've started looking into the disappearances of the citizen's worlds." Asuna added, turning to Silica, "Did she mention any of this to you guys?"

"Mmm…not really." Silica answered, looking to Pina, "She just basically told us to help out the citizens as best as we could."

"We'll just have to trust that she is trying to find the source of the problem." Yui told the team, "And we should find out what's happening, too. We can't just rely on her."

"Right. We'll keep an ear out for any clues." Kirito understood, with the team nodding in agreement.

* * *

They doubled back to Magia Street again, with Silica recalling a package she forgot to deliver back there. It was actually in a part that was secluded around some rather taller buildings. The path was rather crooked, leading into a place that could work as a haunted two-story house, with black, jagged fencing, leafless trees, windows glowing on either side of the door like eyes, and a smokestack on top that smoked. There were some pieces that made it less spooky, like some red machines on either side that had glowing green screens on them, and a satellite dish. There was also a large metal floor door on the right side of the building, easily able to fit some sort of aircraft in it.

Both Silica and Asuna looked scared as they approached the building, with the former shuddering, "I-I know the person who lives here, and he is a nice man, but his house always scares me."

"Just what kind of place is this?" Kirito asked, looking at the mansion, "Looks like it could fit in a place like Halloween Town."

"Please don't remind me of that place, Kirito…" Asuna whimpered, recalling the spooks of that world.

"It belongs to that guy we saw in the Record Crystal. The one who made that machine." Silica explained, "He is a close friend of Gretinal, and a great genius, but his prime research is something I'm sure Asuna wouldn't like."

"What…?" Asuna questioned, worried about the answer.

Suddenly, a pair of what appeared to be green ghosts appeared out of the mansion, with one holding a baseball, while the other picked up a bat from the ground and they started to play a game with them. The sight caused Asuna to squeak in terror, and hide behind Kirito, who was startled.

"Are those ghosts?!" Sora gasped.

"They don't look like Heartless." Goofy noted.

"They aren't. These ghosts are actually from his world." Silica explained, "This house is actually his research lab, where his prime subject is in studying ghosts."

"He studies…ghosts?" Asuna whimpered. She placed on a bit of a fake innocence as she continued, "You know what? I'm just gonna step back outside of this place. Why don't the rest of you go in and meet this guy, okay? Bye." She turned and high-tailed it out of the place.

"Still afraid of ghosts…" Kirito sighed, "You'd think the Heartless and such were scarier."

"Well, I'm not afraid!" Donald declared, "Come on!" He stomped his way towards the entrance of the house. He was halfway between the fence and the door when he heard a crack, turned, and ducked as the ghost's baseball zoomed right over him. The ghosts in question looked to him, the one with the bat scratching his head at the sight, while the other laughed. Donald angrily rose to his feet, and squawked in fury as he chased after the ghosts, who flew through the house wall, causing the duck to slam into it, not able to go through like them, and fall backwards.

"Well, they seem like tricksters, but they don't look harmless." Sora noticed, "Let's go meet that guy." Goofy gathered up Donald, and they all entered inside the building.

 _(Insert 'Professor E. Gadd lab theme')_

The inside of the building had all the necessities for living, but the lab was the one part that covered a third of the interior. There was not only a research table, but machines that whirred and whizzed, and a large-screen computer with several monitors attached and machines, each measuring certain things and displaying numbers, reminding the team a lot of the computer back in Traverse Town. Sitting on a stool at his computer was the very same little old man they saw before on the Record Sphere. There were even a couple of the ghosts they saw before were helping out, whether it be sweeping the floors, or reading journals.

They got close to the old man when he turned to the sight of the heroes. "Ah! So you are the group of heroes who I heard so much about from Gretty." He recognized.

"Yep, that's us." Sora answered.

"You know Gretinal?" Yui asked.

"Yes, my dear. She and I go way back." The old man answered, "But before I tell that story, I want to introduce myself. I'm Professor Elvin Gadd, but people call me 'E. Gadd'."

"How ironic…" Kirito muttered to himself.

"My research has been all about understanding ghosts and other forms of paranormal activity." E. Gadd explained, "But one day, I ended up meeting not only Gretty, but the Heartless, too. Zounds! They were a menace. But it intrigued me to look into them, specifically ones who emulate similar manners to that of ghosts. It was quite fascinating, by boogity!"

"So, you research the Heartless, just like other people have?" Sora asked, while a couple of ghosts appeared right behind him, looking curiously at both him and Goofy.

"Well, my primary research is in ghosts, but if I find a connection between them and Heartless that would prove useful, I would be more than happy to share it with you lot."

At this point, one of the ghosts started to pull on a tuff of Sora's spikes, which annoyed him to try and smack the ghost, only for it to go through the plasma body, making the ghost laugh. The other one had raised one of Goofy's ears, who wasn't nearly as bothered. When the ghost decided to go through one ear and out the other out of sheer amusement, Goofy made an expression of uncomfortableness for a second, but he didn't get angry. Finally, the two ghosts took Donald and Goofy's headwear, and placed it on their heads, giggling at one another for what they were wearing. Donald snatched his hat back angrily, firmly placing it on his head again.

"Here, I brought this for you." Silica told E. Gadd, handing him a tube-shaped package to him.

"Ah! Thank you, my dear." He thanked her, taking the tube, "I was almost out of blueprint paper."

"Blueprints for what?" Yui asked.

"For Gummi Ship designs." E. Gadd answered, "I do have a knack for making some rather good designs, if I do say so myself. And some that can be pretty powerful, if I may add."

"So we can buy Gummi Ship designs from you?" Sora asked, while Donald raced after the two ghosts, irritated by their fooling around with them.

"In-deedy." He answered, "I also have a special collection of blueprints I am especially proud of, but I will only give them to you in exchange for something I want."

"And that would be…" Kirito started.

"Photographic evidence of ghosts, or ghost-like beings, too." E. Gadd answered, "Bring me enough photos like those, and I'll give you some of my finest designs."

"Shouldn't be too hard with our Gummiphone." Sora stated, holding out the said device. He heard a crash, and everyone turned to see the two ghost in-between a large kitchen pot, with Donald feet hanging out of it as it rolled along the ground.

"We should probably get out of here before things escalate any further." Kirito told the team, who nodded in agreement. They pulled Donald out of the pot, and waved goodbye to E. Gadd and the ghosts before leaving the place.

Donald was angrily squawking back at the house as Kirito and Sora dragged him along by his arms. "I really hate those ghosts!" Donald squawked angrily.

"They don't mean any harm." Yui assured him, "I'm sure they were just curious about all of us."

"And they did seem like the playful kind, too." Goofy noted.

"You should've seen what they did to Sinon when she encountered them…" Silica started, then she blushed as she added, "Actually, maybe Asuna and Yui should be the only ones."

"Well, let's just go there when we need to, okay?" Kirito told the team, who nodded in agreement, and they exited out of the dark area they were in, returning to the main streets once more.

* * *

When they returned, the heroes all saw Asuna again, with three other people with her; Klein, Penelo, and Lightning, the latter being in the same garments as they saw her in the Record Sphere.

"Light!" Sora noticed happily. She was, after all, the first person he met when they crash-landed in Yusnaan for the first time.

"Sora. You okay?" She asked him, to which Sora nodded in response, albeit questioning why she would ask that first.

"I was just explaining to Light about our power changes." Asuna explained, "Like how I can't use her Soul Drive, and neither can you guys use Snow or Vaan's."

"Right…" Kirito understood.

"She also explained about your power loss." Light noted to Sora, "This isn't like the last time you came to this dimension, either, is it?"

"No…" Sora sighed.

"It really sucks that you guys have to start over like this." Klein pointed out to the rest of the team, "But we've all done conversions to other games before. This shouldn't be anything different."

"But there's more at stake than just what was in the games, Klein." Asuna retorted angrily, "It's gonna be even more dangerous that fight against Oberon."

"Right, since he, Gouxus, and the rest are now part of Xehanort's sixteen darknesses." Kirito noted, "We don't even know who all of them are."

"And we still need to find the other Guardians of Light to fight against them." Donald added.

"Okay, okay! Sorry…" Klein apologized, feeling ganged up at the moment.

"So, do you know where to start?" Penelo asked the group.

"Well, according to Gretinal, we need to start by finding four Lost Princesses of Heart." Asuna stated, "She gave us vague clues as to who they should be, but the one thing we do know is that they are in this dimension."

"Lost Princesses of Heart?" Silica echoed.

"Well, if you're looking for a princess, maybe Ashe could be one of them." Penelo suggested.

"Maybe…" Sora responded, "Though, I don't think just being a princess will be enough."

"Right. Besides, Kairi is not royalty, but she is one of the Princesses." Kirito pointed out, "And the four Lost Princesses aren't fully aware of the light in their hearts, either."

"Well, I'll leave that task in your hands, since you know it better than the rest of us." Lightning stated, "In the meantime, we have other matters to figure out."

"Like, what?" Yui asked.

"The soul pieces that are still within us." Asuna asked, looking to Kirito and Sora, "Our Soul Drives may be gone, but the soul pieces still remain within us. We ended up wondering if we could channel them in some way?"

"You mean…using them like Soul Pacts?" Kirito asked, to which Asuna nodded in response.

"But…what about mine?" Sora asked, touching is heart, "Vaan, Naruto, and Pit… Their pieces of their souls helped me so much before, but I can't use them anymore."

"True. Lightning and I were discussing how we could help you use those, as well." Asuna told him, "So far, we can't really think of anything." Sora, Kirito, Donald, Goofy, and Yui all looked to one another, wondering if there really was any way to use them at all.

"Maybe you guys should ask an expert." Silica suggested, "Who was it that helped you with those powers before?"

"Well, that would be Light and the others." Sora answered.

"And Patina and the witch apprentices." Yui added.

"Then let's go there to see if we can't find a way to use those soul pieces again." Kirito told the other five heroes, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll come with you." Lightning told them, turning to Klein, "I want you to go back to patrolling again."

"Yes, ma'am!" Klein saluted her, before taking off to do his duty with gusto, though really to impress Lightning, as most who knew him could tell, and gave expressions of ridiculousness at his actions.

"I'd better go take care of a few more deliveries." Silica told the others, "I'll see you later!"

"Take care of yourself, Silica!" Asuna told her as she and Pina flew off to their next destination.

"Bye, Pina!" Yui called out, to which the feathery dragon chirped in response to this.

"I'll go try to find Vaan, then." Penelo spoke up, walking away, "You might need his help using that soul piece in you, Sora."

"That's thinking ahead." Sora agreed, "I can't wait to see him again." With those guys gone, the rest of the team started to make their way towards the magic shop once more, hoping to get the answers they sought, and unlock the lost powers they once had.

* * *

 **Elsewhere, The Forgotten Tomb**

At the southern edge of the town, which was still filled with debris and ruins of what it once was, a small group had just destroyed a fallen pillar that opened up an entrance into some catacombs. A tall broken wall nearby was blocking out the sun, and they were standing in the shadows of it, their bodies mostly hidden. However, they were all clearly young ladies, around mid to late-teens

"Well, that took a while." One of girls stated, "Great going, Samson, Flair."

"Heh! No problem!" A gruff male voice answered, oddly coming from one of the girls.

"So you think there's treasure down there?" A young girl's voice asked, again coming from the same figure.

"I hope so." The first girl answered, "But I bet there's Heartless down there. Traps, too."

"Let me check." The third girl stated, focusing her pale eyes at the entrance, the veins around her eyes popping out as she did, "You're right. I definitely see the darkness of Heartless down there. There are some other creatures that have some different kind of darkness, but they don't seem that tough, either."

"More than Heartless down there, huh?" The first girl asked, slowly stepping towards the entrance, "Could it be Unversed? Or some other form of darkness? Well, it doesn't matter…" Her head came into view in the sunlight, revealing a girl with short, brown hair, blue eyes, and a confident smirk.

"Once we set our sights on a treasure, we're going to get it." Philia declared, "Let's go, Heart Sisters!"

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Forgotten Friend! Meet the Heart Sisters!**

* * *

 **Note:**

 **-Penelo's attire is the same as her attire in Final Fantasy Tactics A2.**

 **-Lightning's new attire is based on a variation attire of her Equilibrium attire of FFXIII Lightning Returns.**

 **-Snow's attire is the same as his FFXIII-2 attire.**

 **-Silica and Liz's attires are highly based on their original concept art for SAO.**

 **-Sinon, Klein, Argo and Agil's attire are their Hollow Realization attire.**


	8. Forgotten Friends! Meet Heart Sisters!

**Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the long wait, everyone! With the holidays, work, and a few video games that blocked or distracted me from doing my story-writing, it ended up taking forever to get this chapter prepared. But fortunately, it is a long one, featuring new and old characters, including some that I already created drawings for on my DeviantARTs page. Just look up my work under the name 'Jacksonswordsman' to see my collection! In the meantime, enjoy reading this!**

 **Oh, and just to let you know, there are spoiler alerts involving a couple of characters, so fair warning. Also, I would recommend reading the following before reading this:**

 **Sword Art Kingdom: Final Mix 'There & Back! Saitama Keyblade Wielders!'**

* * *

 **Resolute Oasis, Maho-Dou Magic Shop**

"You want to reawaken those souls in you already?" Laralie asked, looking at the heroes in her shop.

"That's right." Kirito answered, "Think you can figure out a way?"

The six heroes, along with Lightning, had recently discussed about the souls that remained dormant within Sora, Kirito and Asuna's hearts. They wanted to see if there was a way to reawaken them, possibly using them as a Soul Burst. Though since Sora can't use that power like Kirito and Asuna, they also wanted to know if there was a way to manifest the souls in a different way. So they visited the Maho-Dou Magic Shop to speak to Patina, Laralie, and the apprentices.

"Is it possible to use the souls within us?" Asuna asked, placing a hand over her heart, "I would like to use Lightning and the other's powers again." Lighting looked at the young lady at these words.

"Well, it WOULD be Patina who would have the answer for it…" Reanne admitted.

"…Unfortunately, she still is unconscious." Mirabelle followed.

"She hasn't recovered from the last time we saw her?" Yui asked.

"She is a business woman." Laralie stated, "And if stocks won't sell, especially ones that cost a pretty penny like what she found, she won't take it easily."

"Sounds like Uncle Scrooge…" Donald compared.

"I wasn't around when you guys were starting on selling these powers, but I bet there might be one or two people around here who can use them, right?" Ellie asked, looking at a package that Silica sent on the table.

"Even so, maybe we can use those Finishers she bought into something else." Dori stated, "I mean, there has to be other usages for them, right?"

"And if we do that, we might just be able to help answer your problem, too." Reanne followed her train of thought.

"Didn't Patina have a book on this kinds of things before?" Mirabelle asked Laralie, "I know where she stashed it. I'll go get it." She rushed off into the side room.

"A book?" Sora asked, curiously.

"We found it back in Yusnaan." Lightning explained, "It told us about many forms of powers and the lore of each, but it mostly spoke about the power of the Soul Drive. However, it required those with open hearts, no malicious intentions, and great magical prowess to utilize it. The same also has to be said about the person it is conjured upon."

"And we fit the bill just right!" Dori declared, placing her hands on her hips, "We have great magical skills, we don't like anything evil, and our hearts are definitely open!"

"Dori, you still kinda have trouble with your magic, Dori…" Reanne admitted, getting a deadpanned expression from the chignon bun girl.

"And your brain is just as open as your heart is, Dori." Mirabelle added bluntly, walking into the room at that moment with a book in her hands. Dori puffed her cheeks as she made a noise three times, turning away from the others.

"Is this the book?" Sora asked, as Mirabelle handed the book over to Yui, who took it and looked at the cover. There was no title, but a golden heart with blue, green and bronze-colored streams ringing around it. She opened it up, and looked through the pages, with Asuna and Goofy reading over each of her shoulders.

"Gee, there's a lot to be said about souls in this book." Goofy noticed.

"It looks like this section is about Soul Drives." Asuna noticed, "More of the basics and history."

"Let me see if I can find anything about Soul Pacts." Yui told them, and she flicked through the pages. She scanned each page quickly, reading faster than anyone else there. Finally, she stopped at a page that had a picture of what looked like a dead Soul Pact, with an arrow pointing to a glowing orb, then to a shining Soul Pact. "Found it!" Yui exclaimed, "It says here that extra dormant soul pieces within a person can be turned into Soul Pacts!"

"Really? That's great!" Kirito stated.

"…However." Yui continued, "It looks like there are a couple things we're missing in order to reignite souls into being used for Soul Burst."

"What are they?" Donald asked.

"Well, one of them is a person who gave you or is relative to the soul piece sleeping within you." Yui explained.

"So in other words, Snow, Vaan and I need to be here to help reignite the soul pieces." Lightning understood, "That shouldn't be too hard."

"But the second one is trickier." Yui stated, "It says here that there is suppose to be an object called the 'Bond Lazuli'. It's supposedly a magical artifact that can reignite souls within one's heart, and put them through a metamorphosis in order to become used for Soul Burst."

"I see…" Laralie understood, itching her chin, "Without the Bond Lazuli, there's no way any of us can turn your original powers into the ones you have now."

"Do you guys have any idea as to where this 'lazuli' is?" Sora asked, looking to both the witch apprentices, Laralie, and Lightning. They all shook their heads in response to this question, causing the heroes to become slightly depressed at their lack of info.

"Wait…" Kirito muttered, coming to a realization, "I think this might require the help of Argo!"

"Oh, right! She has a lot of information, so she might know somethin' about the Bond Lazuli for us!" Goofy agreed.

"I'll try to see if I can get Vaan and Snow back here to help you guys out." Lightning told the heroes, "You try to learn where this magical artifact is."

"Right!" The six answered, and they left the building to set out on their mission.

* * *

 **(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)**

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

 **Resolute Oasis, West Wing**

"Argo!" Kirito called out as he and the others approached the info broker, who was shuffling through a holo-pad with information. She looked up at the sight of them, and paced the pad away.

"Hey, Kii-bou. What can I do ya fo-?" She stopped at the sight of Goofy, and cried out, "NYAAA! Keep that mutt away from me!"

Everyone stopped and looked to the anthropomorphic dog, with Sora arguing, "Why? We told you he isn't a bad guy!"

"Let her get use to him, Sora." Kirito told him in a sympathetic tone.

"Anyways, Argo, we need some help on something." Asuna continued, "Do you have anything about something called a 'Bond Lazuli'?"

"Funny you should ask…" Argo answered, pulling out her holo-pad again, "I actually got some information about that very thing here. Kind of crazy how I ended up giving it to two people I know."

"Two people…you know?" Kirito asked, moving away from Sora and Goofy.

"Yeah. You guys are one, and another group came in a little while ago to get that same information, too." Argo explained, "Though if you want the info on who wanted it first, you're gonna have to purchase a Record Sphere from me showing that transaction."

"…Maybe later, if we're interested." Kirito responded, "First, tell us what you know, and we'll pay the price for it."

"Oh, this won't cost anything, as it's not completely confirmed it's down there." The info broker explained, pulling up the info, and readying it for trade. Sora and Jiminy pulled out the Gummiphone, and downloaded the info given to them by Argo. "However, according to Fran, she was able to sense a powerful magical object within some ruins. There was also some writing near that ruins. Balthier and Fran could barely translate it, but they did say something about a lazuli gemstone. They assumed that the gem was of great importance, and were planning to go investigate. However, they couldn't open up the door underneath the ruins to lead further in."

"A locked door, huh?" Sora understood, summoning his Kingdom Key Keyblade, "Well, it's a good thing Kirito, Asuna and I have the keys to open it up."

"We'll look into it for you, Argo. Thanks." Kirito thanked her.

"Don't thank me yet, Kii-bou." Argo retorted, "I told you that you guys that someone else's group got this information, too, and trust me, the leader is a real treasure hunter."

"A treasure hunter?" Donald echoed.

"Yep. You'd better stop yappin' and start catchin' up to her and her team if you wanna get to that gem of yours." Argo told them, "The ruins are south of the Eastern Quarter."

"Thanks, Argo!" Sora thanked her, and the six took off to their next destination; the ruins containing the Bond Lazuli.

As they ran, Asuna saw an expression on Kirito's face as they ran, asking him, "What's up?"

"It's…more of a funny feeling." He answered, "The way Argo spoke about this other person…It made me feel like she knew who she was."

"Well, she and the others have been here for a while. So they might've gained friendships with other people here."

"True, but I knew Argo for a while now, and so do you. She's more into business, so she wouldn't make friends with just anyone that easily. So it's either that, or she knew this person beforehand."

"But…that can't be right. I mean, she didn't even know about other worlds until Klein told her." Asuna argued as they made their way through Magia Street.

"I know…" Kirito agreed, looking concerned, "…Let's go catch up with this treasure hunter and see who she is."

"Hurry up, you guys!" Goofy called out to the pair, who realized they were falling behind the others, so they raced the catch up.

* * *

After a few minutes, they finally made it to the Eastern Quarters, and found the southern path Argo spoke about, which looked like it was less than changed compared to the rest of the city. Going along that southern path, they found themselves facing Heartless of variant kinds, including Shadows, Fat Bodies, Pogo Shovels, and Talonclaws. However, the team made quick work of them with their teamwork and skills, before progressing onwards.

After a while of racing through the ruined part of the city, they finally reached the edge, discovering an entrance to underground ruins.

They were about to make their way in when Kirito stopped and looked to a broken pillar that seemingly blocked the path to the ruins. Everyone else also stopped and looked to him, with Donald asking, "What's up?"

"This pillar…it's been destroyed recently." Kirito analyzed, looking at the ground, seeing small signs of his assumption being true.

"Do you think it was the treasure hunter?" Sora asked.

"Maybe, or one of her allies." Kirito assumed, "I'm just wondering how strong are these treasure hunters, and if they are good guys, or not."

"If they actually made it through the locked door." Yui pointed out, "I mean, Fran and Balthier are both treasure hunters, if I remember the information right from Yusnaan. So if they couldn't open it, maybe they couldn't either."

"Let's find out!" Sora declared, and he led the team down the steps down into the ruins.

The descent of stairs wasn't too bad, and they did make it down in less than a minute. However, when they arrived, they found the pathway and the door that they were told about, with Yui's assumption proved wrong. The large, stone door was very much ajar, with the keyhole split in half between the two doors.

"It's open!" Donald noticed.

"So they did make it through." Asuna understood, "And it doesn't look like the door was busted open, due to no damage, as far as I can see."

"Then that means the person who opened the door has a real knack for opening up ancient locks." Kirito understood, frowning at the sight, "We'd better get moving, before we lose the Bond Lazuli to them!"

"Right!" Sora and Yui answered in unison, and the six heroes charged through the opened door into the path beyond.

The ruined pathway was pretty much a one way path for the most part. There seemed to be light emanating from lanterns along the path. One look at them made the heroes realize they were lit with magic. The heroes ventured through it, dealing with walls to climb and descend, but they soon realized there was more to the dungeon crawl than they thought.

As the team walked along, the stone beneath them suddenly gave way, before a large portion of the stone flooring around them gave way, causing them to fall down a pit, screaming. They fell quite a ways down, before they landed into a dark room, not terribly big, but deep enough for the light above not to reach it.

"What happened…" Asuna grimaced, rising back onto her feet.

"Looks like we fell into a trap…" Kirito muttered, nearly rolling onto Donald as he tried to get up, angering the duck.

Sora also rose to his feet, grimacing, before opening eyes, and seeing something within the darkness that was not good; Yellow eyes. "Heartless!" Sora shouted, getting his Keyblade out.

"Great, and while we can't see anything…" Kirito grimaced.

"Donald and I can do something about this!" Asuna called out, "Donald, Fire spell, and raise it up high!"

Donald squawked in response, and raised his staff high while Asuna raised her Keyblade up high, and caused flames to burst out. It temporarily lit the room up, and everyone could see the Heartless surrounding them.

"Take em out, quick!" Kirito shouted to Sora, Goofy & Yui, who charged at the sight of the Heartless nearest to them. While Asuna and Donald made sure to keep some flames lit, the others made quick work with the enemies around them, until it was all clear. When it was done, magic lamps suddenly lit up on the walls around them, and part of the wall nearby opened up, revealing a path forward.

"That was close…" Asuna sighed, pulling out a bottle of ether, and handing one to Donald, who took it to recharge his magic energy.

"Do you think those other treasure hunters triggered that trap?" Sora asked, looking up at the top of the hole they fell through.

"That trap does seem like a one-time thing, so probably not." Kirito answered, "They might've noticed it in a way we didn't."

"But how did they see it?" Goofy asked.

"Someone with great observational skills?" Yui suggested, "Or maybe they're just aware of traps, being that they're treasure hunters."

"Well, whatever the case, it seems we made it further underground." Sora noted, looking to the door, "We might even gotten closer to the Lazuli."

"Then we'd better keep going, or those other guys'll get to it first." Asuna told the others, who nodded in agreement, and they exited the room.

It was clear that there were more traps than the one they just encountered, and unlike them, they didn't get the team closer to the goal. Some traps caused nearby statues to collapse nearly on top of them. Some traps made magic barriers appear, and they had to take out the Heartless that came with them before progressing onward. And some just had explosive magic that triggered at their feet. Due to that knowledge, the team felt like the treasure hunters before them either didn't make to these traps before them, or more likely they were able to notice and avoid the traps.

"I can't see HOW they made it past all that without triggering at least one of them!" Donald huffed, exhausted and injured after the assortment of traps they endured. Everyone else was also worse for wears.

"I don't know. Back in SAO, I heard about people who had trap sensing abilities, and were able to pinpoint where every trap could be in a dungeon." Kirito pointed out, taking a potion and downing it to heal his wounds, "So anything is possible if you have the right skill sets."

"I guess. It would be hard to believe someone would have the same kind of ability as those kind of people back in SAO, though." Asuna retorted as Yui was brushing her hair with her fingers, after the last trap ruffled it up badly.

"Guess Argo wasn't kiddin' about them bein' professionals." Goofy stated, having the worst-looking damage out of everyone, but otherwise unperturbed by his condition. Despite his demeanor, Sora healed him with a Cure spell.

"Just how good are these guys?" Sora asked, looking to the path ahead.

"Well, we don't know, nor do we actually know they are ahead of us." Asuna answered, "Either way, we still need to get to the Bond Lazuli before they do."

"Right then. Is everyone ready to keep going?" Sora asked the team, who nodded in response, with the exception of Donald. He huffed a bit, but decided to keep going with them as they all turned and continued on the dungeon pathway.

After a minute more of running through the corridors, Kirito, who was in the lead at the moment, sensed something as they neared a corner. "Hold on!" He whispered to the team, raising a hand to stop them. They all came to a halt as they questioned what Kirito was sensing. He peered around the corner, and saw a small doorway that led to the next room. He could see a light in there, along with the sound of movement. Someone was in there.

Without saying a word, he ushered the team to follow him quietly, and they rounded the corner tightly to not alert those inside the room. They kept close to the walls before nearing the doorway. Kirito and Yui both looked around the corner, and saw there was someone, indeed, inside.

The room was open, and it had a small flight of stairs that led to a treasure box, which was ajar. Three characters surrounded the treasure box, and based on their figures, they were clearly young ladies, maybe around their mid-teens. The one in the middle had shoulder-length dandelion hair. The one on her left had long raven hair that fell down her back. The one on her right had long dark purple hair that split into two parts, almost tentacle-like, and curled inwards, with what looked like thorns hanging off each side.

"Did you find it?" The girl on the left asked with an almost wispy voice.

"I think so." The girl in the middle answered, "Man, did they have to hide the gem in all this sand?"

"Are those the treasure hunters, papa?" Yui asked, peering in.

"Looks like it. And it looks like we caught up to them as they got their hands on the treasure." Kirito noticed.

Suddenly, something on the right girl's head glowed yellow, like a pair of eyes, along with a pair of teeth, and it started to speak in a gruff mail voice. "Hey! We got some spies right behind us! Show yourselves!" Kirito and Yui were both shocked to see whatever the thing was that spotted them, while the three girls surrounding the treasure box turned to face the doorway, looking serious.

The girl in the middle had teal eyes, her ruffled hair fell over her forehead and sides. She wore a blue, white and black-lined sleeveless top, which hugged her chest and showed her midriff, and was held up by a petal piece attached to the black and white collar around her neck. She wore black and white-trimmed shorts, a blue and white-trimmed waist cape that had a familiar silver heart and crown symbol on the back, a leather belt with a silver buckle holding it in place, including the satchel on it. She had long blue socks underneath black and silver-trimmed boots that reached above her knees, with blue gems near the top, and a satchel strapped to her left leg. She had detached sleeves with neon blue and yellow lining decorating it, and metal pieces guarding the back of her fingerless gloves.

The girl on her right had red eyes, though for some reason, there seemed to be eyes on her head that were yellow and black pupils. She wore a lavender jacket that zipped up with a silver skull zipper, though still showing her one-piece magenta dress underneath, along with some cleavage from her ample chest. The dress had a skirt that curved down the middle. Her stockings were also a purple color, and her shoes were pale lavender Mary Janes.

The girl on the left had pale eyes, almost like she was blind, with a zipped-up,green flak jacket that had pockets over each breast, a faded gold shirt that was underneath, with sleeves almost kimono-like, like the attire Yui use to wear. She had on black combat pants, with bandages on her left leg, and a bag strapped over it, and open-toed black shoes. Around her neck was some sort of forehead protector, with a symbol on the metal piece that was awfully familiar.

"Who's there?" The pale-eyed girl asked, raising her palms out like a Chinese kempo fighter, "I can see you spying on us!"

"Yeah! Get out here and show your faces!" The gruff male voice from the right girl demanded, and one of the tentacle-like hairs on her head pointed at the door threateningly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a moment!" Kirito cried out, appearing around the corner with his arms up, "We didn't come here to start a fight. We were here to find something, just like you." He stepped into the room, followed by Yui, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and finally, Sora. Donald looked a bit hostile, but Asuna tried to hold him back.

The central girl stopped showing hostility, and looked shocked, looking down at Donald, Goofy, and finally, Sora, who she stared at for the longest of time. Finally, she asked, "S-Sora? Is that you?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, confused and surprised she knew his name.

She didn't make a word as she stepped down the stairs, while her comrades watched, as she approached the spiky-haired Keyblade wielder. She gazed at him for a few seconds, then she clenched a fist to her chest as blush-marks formed on her face, and she smiled. "It really is you, Sora. Donald. Goofy. It's…been a long time."

Sora looked to the other two she addressed, who shook their heads as if answering the question he had in his mind. Finally, he spoke it out loud as he asked, "Do we know you?"

She looked a bit heart-broken at first, but then came to an understanding shortly after, and closed her eyes. "Well…you did, once. But that was a long time ago. I guess your memories about me are still locked away." Sora, Donald and Goofy all looked confused at all of this.

"Sorry. Let me start over again." She told the group, opening her eyes, "My name is Philia. It's nice to meet you guys."

"Oh, uh…hi there, Philia." Sora greeted, "I guess you already know about us… Oh!" He looked to the other half of their team who were not addressed by her as he stated, "But I guess you don't know them. That's Kirito, Asuna, and Yui. They're friends of mine."

"I know who they are." Philia stated, looking to the trio with a smile.

"You do?" Kirito asked, surprised.

"But how would you know?" Asuna asked suspiciously.

"Simple. Mistress Gretinal told me all about you." The name surprised the six heroes.

"You…know Gretinal?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. My dear friends and I all help her out in many worlds." Philia explained, addressing her friends as they descended the stairs to join her side, starting with the one on her right as she introduced, "This girl is Flair. The hair monster on top of her is Samson. And this other girl…" she addressed on her left, "…Is Hinata."

Suddenly, from behind Philia, another character appeared. She looked like a pixie, similar to Yui when she was a Navigation Pixie, with blue eyes, blonde hair tied in a bun, faded blue pixie wings, and a green dress. "Do not forget about me, Philia." She told the young lady as she fluttered in front of her face.

"Oh, right. I'm not sure if you remember this pixie, but she's-."

"Tinker Bell!" Sora, Donald and Goofy recognized the girl happily.

"It's great to see you boys again." The pixie addressed the team.

"Wow! It's so awesome to see you again, Tink!" Sora stated eagerly.

"And you can talk, too." Goofy pointed out.

"I could speak before, but you didn't understand pixie." Tink noted, "But Gretinal enchanted my voice to be more audible to others." She sat herself on Philia's shoulder, crossing her arms as she looked a bit smug.

"Sorry for begin so hostile towards you guys." Flair apologized, as she looked to Kirito and Asuna, "We tend to deal with all sorts, so you can understand if we had to be defensive."

"No, it's okay." Asuna assured her, "Believe me, we can relate."

"Hmph! We don't need to apologize for what we did." Samson retorted, "Especially to these jokers!"

"Samson!" Flair barked at him, who crossed his tentacles in stubbornness.

"Wow. Hair with an attitude." Kirito muttered, looking at the eyes and mouth on the back of Flair's head, "You don't see that everyday."

"It's not as unusual as you think in my world." The girl stated, "There are a few people there who are bonded with a parasite. Samson is just one of them."

"Doesn't that get annoying at times? To have a monster cover your head like that?" Kirito asked, receiving an elbow to the ribs by Asuna due to his tactless question.

"Watch it!" Samson growled.

"No, it's okay." Flair assured them both, "I've just gotten use to him, after a while. Though I do wish I had an unlimited supply of hats to wear, since he keeps eating them."

"Hey, what can I say, kid? I love their texture!" Samson stated, licking his lips, "Especially bowler hats. Way tastier than fedoras or fezes!" Flair looked irritated up at her parasite, while Kirito and Asuna gave awkward, sweat-dropped expressions.

At the other section, Hinata interfered with Philia speaking to Sora as she asked, "Um, excuse me. This might be a weird question to ask, but, do you know a boy named Naruto?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I do!" Sora answered, "He and I are pretty good friends. He's even shared his soul with me when we fought a bad guy together. You know him?"

"Hinata's from the same world as him." Philia explained, "I actually heard you were around when Flair and I were there."

"I thought that symbol looked familiar." Donald noted, looking at the forehead protector around Hinata's neck.

"So you're a ninja?" Yui asked.

"Not just any ordinary ninja. Hinata's been handy at using magic, too." Philia stated, "And her eyes are extra special. She's been able to see things the rest of us don't."

"Is that how ya didn't activate the traps?" Goofy asked.

"No. That was Philia." Hinata explained, "She is able to sense traps like those in the dungeon."

"And I bet you guys activated almost every one of them, didn't you?" Philia questioned the team.

"Whaaat? No way." Sora answered, averting his gaze, "I'm sure there were some we DIDN'T trigger, right?"

"Sora, only you can be that honest and dishonest at the same time…" Philia muttered.

"Anyways, just out of curiosity, are you guys here for the Bond Lazuli?" Kirito asked.

"That's right!" Flair realized, "Philia, the gemstone!"

"Oh, yeah!" She answered, racing back up the small flight of stairs to the treasure box, and searching through the sand that's in there. Finally, she discovered what she was looking for, and pulled it out. It was a rather large, deep blue gemstone, cut like a long diamond prism, and held in a golden frame that wrapped around the edges. It gave off a warm feeling upon revealing itself to everyone.

Sora came to one side, and saw the gemstone she picked up. "Is that…"

"The Bond Lazuli. Looks like Argo's info was right on the money." Philia stated, turning to show it to everyone. Everyone was in awe at the sight of the sparkling gemstone. Donald licked his lips as he slowly started to make his way up to touch it, only to be stopped by Asuna, who held his cape.

"Finders keepers, kids. We got to the Lazuli, and we're keeping it!" Samson growled at the six heroes.

"What?!" Donald and Sora argued angrily.

"But we came here to get it so we can reawaken the souls that are inside of my mama, papa, and Sora." Yui explained.

Philia looked to Sora, asking, "There are souls inside of you? Like Soul Pacts?"

"Sort of." Sora answered.

"They were actually used for another power before." Kirito explained, "We're hoping to use them now as Soul Pacts for Asuna and I, and hopefully something else for Sora."

"Then that means you guys can use Soul Burst, like Philia?" Tinker Bell asked.

The six heroes looked to Philia in amazement as Sora asked, "You can use Soul Burst?"

"Yeah. It was kinda thanks to you that I was awaken to that power a couple years ago."

"Me?" Sora asked, "How did I do that?"

"That's a story for another time." Philia answered, placing the Bond Lazuli inside the satchel on her leg which, despite being large than the satchel itself, fit right in. In conclusion, it was a magic satchel. "For right now, I guess you have an idea for where this stone can be used, right?"

"Yeah. At the Magic Shop." Kirito answered.

"Would you mind if we use it, please?" Asuna asked.

"I don't see why not." Philia chuckled, "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine. And a friend of mine can share the wealth of the treasures the Heart Sisters find."

"Heart Sisters?" Goofy echoed.

"That's our team name." Hinata explained with a smile.

"Do you have a team name for your group?" Flair asked. Donald and Goofy scratched their heads at this.

"Didn't we have one back in Yusnaan?" Asuna asked.

"Right. Team Keybladers." Kirito answered.

"Weird name." Philia told Sora, who chuckled in embarrassment.

Suddenly, Hinata and Kirito's eyes flashed, and they turned to the entrance as one, giving glares that drew the attention of the others, as Asuna asked, "What's up, Kirito."

"I sense something coming." He answered.

"You sense it, too, Hinata?" Philia asked, who nodded.

The team exited the room, and gathered into the hallway, with Kirito, Sora and Hinata in the lead. The ninja girl stepped forward, and concentrated as her blank eyes sharpened, and the veins around her eyes popped out. From her perspective, there was an aura all about the place, but she could see a mass of dark-colored figures coming down the hallway, nearing the corner. "Heartless!" Hinata warned the team.

"Leave it to us!" Sora declared as he and Kirito produced their Keyblades. Asuna followed with producing her own by Flair and Samson's side, while Donald, Goofy and Yui summoned their own individual weapons around Philia. They waited in baited breath as the Heartless came around the corner, composed of Shadows, Soldiers, Talonclaws, Large Bodies, and Flutterings.

"That's a lot of Heartless!" Asuna stated, seeing the swarm they had to deal with.

"We'll help you guys out." Philia declared as she, Flair, Samson and Hinata stepped forwards around the heroes. Samson readied his sharp tentacles as Flair summoned a weapon that looked like a large hairpin, but she held it like a rapier. Hinata summoned golden bracelets that had a red, icy blue, and yellow gemstone embedded around it. She held her palms out, which began emanating a violet aura.

However, it was Philia's weapon that surprised the Keyblade wielders, as she whipped her arm to one side, and in her hand, she summoned a long dagger weapon, but it took on a familiar shape. It was a silver Keyblade, with a sharp-looking shaft with a jagged part on one end, pointed teeth, a crescent-shaped, rough gold hilt that only guarded the front, with a blue gemstone embedded into the front of it, a bandaged hilt, and a keychain on the end with a sword for the medallion.

Sora, Kirito and Asuna looked shocked at the sight as they gasped as one, "A Keyblade?!"

"Sort of." Philia explained, "A Keydagger would be more the better term for it. Let's not talk about it, now! Let's fight!" The trio were very curious about her, but decided to give up for the moment, and concentrate on the fight.

Donald and Asuna opened up the attack with a double Water spell that blasted back a few Heartless, before the frontal assault team went into action, composed of Kirito, Sora, Goofy, Philia and Flair. Goofy bashed through a pair of Soldiers, making them fly upwards, only for Flair to leap up, and Samson to stab them both with his thorn tentacles, defeating them, before coming down with a stab onto a Shadow.

Sora unleashed several slashes with his Keyblade, before bouncing off a Large Body's belly, who was ready to swing his arms at him. However, Philia suddenly appeared, parrying the monster's attack before it could hit Sora. She then concentrated her Keyblade, which shined an electric yellow, sparking with energy. She suddenly quick-stepped around the Large Body, appearing from behind, and unleashing a slash on its' back. It suddenly became shocked and paralyzed by the attack. The attack attracted both Kirito and Asuna's attention, as it looked awfully familiar to the two.

"Sora, go!" Philia shouted.

"Right!" Sora answered, taking a high leap back, producing his Kingdom Key Keyblade, and aiming at the Large Body, along with many other Heartless around it. He then performed his Shotlock: Ragnarok, and blasted a large amount of Heartless with it, including the Large Body, destroying them.

"Nice move, Sora." Philia complimented the Keyblade wielder, "You got a lot better. I didn't know you could unleash that attack so easily."

"I wouldn't have gotten to unleash so easily if you hadn't givin' me that opening with that attack." Sora retorted, "Thanks a bunch, Philia!" The treasure hunter blushed at Sora's praise, looking down as she felt a bit flustered.

"Heads up!" Kirito shouted, slashing a Talonclaw away before it got close to the pair. "We'd better clean these guys up before we get to talking again." He stated, looking at the two before glaring at the Heartless remaining, " **Soul Burst: Cloud Strife!** " Kirito raised his Keyblade high, which shined as the silhouette of the young man himself appeared, before diving into his Keyblade. His weapon transformed right before his eyes, becoming the Buster Sword, which he held in both hands, ready to fight.

"Cloud?!" Philia looked amazed at what she heard, "You mean, that guy back at Olympus?"

"Get down!" Kirito begun swinging the massive sword, taking out Heartless with the brute force he was exerting, taking them out as quickly as he could. Flair, Goofy, and the others got out of the way as he was destroying them. After about ten seconds more of this, and one good Cross Slash to defeat the last Large Body, Kirito cleared the way. He spun the weapon around with one hand, before saddling it on his shoulder.

"Impressive. It's almost like the real thing." Philia compared, wandering up next to Kirito.

"The real thing?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I knew Cloud, too. Fought him as well."

"Really?" Kirito asked.

"Everyone!" Hinata called out as she, Asuna, Donald and Yui joined the others, "There are more Heartless in this dungeon! Lots of them!" She was looking ahead, her eyes focused like before.

"Really?!" Yui gasped.

"How can you tell?" Donald asked.

"That's her Byakugan." Philia explained, "She is able to see quite a long distance from all around her, and is able to sense the dark aura of the Heartless. She can also see other people approaching in the same way, by sensing their chakra or magic energy. It's how we avoided fights against overwhelming odds, as well as sneak attacks."

"Wow! That's incredible!" Sora gasped in admiration at Hinata.

"And here I thought you were blind, but you were just the complete opposite." Asuna stated, then realizing her statement might've been insulting, she quickly added, "I'm not trying to be rude by saying that."

"Don't worry. I've heard far more crueler words than that." Hinata assured her.

"We'd better get a move on before they gather up and attack us as one." Kirito told the team, his Soul Burst dying away as his Buster Sword reverted back to his Keyblade, "My Soul Burst's time wore out while we talked, too…"

"Sorry about that…" Philia apologized, "Guess I explained things too long, didn't I?" She walked past Kirito, patting his shoulder as she assured him, "Don't worry about it. In exchange for you showing off, I'll show you my Soul Burst, next." She raced on ahead, leaving Kirito befuddled at her words. Hinata and Flair passed him before he and everyone else raced after them.

It didn't take long for them to find more Heartless in their way as they made their way back up out of the tunnels. Fortunately, they only came in small intervals, so the team didn't have to unleash their full force like they did with the first mob. The six heroes ended up seeing what the Heart Sisters were capable of in minor battles.

Flair and Samson were clearly the close-ranged brawlers of the group, with Samson using powerful blows, while Flair made precision strikes with her rapier weapon. Asuna couldn't help but make a pointer or two to Flair on how to use her weapon more properly, as a rapier-user herself.

Hinata was skilled in close-combat skills, but her attacks were more magical-based than physically damaging. Thanks to her bracelets, she mixed magic with her ninja training to perform unique techniques, such as sending Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder-spells in the form of 'Twin-Lion Fists'. It was only her Aero-spell that was different, which was known as the 'Eight-Trigram Vacuum Palm'.

Philia, however, was clearly the lead in the group, able to perform great amounts of skills with her Keydagger, as she called it. Her athleticism was great, and she was even able to perform Airstepping techniques. She had numerous spells under her belt, including Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, Cure, and Gravity spells. However, the one thing that intrigued Kirito, Asuna and Yui the most was the fact she could pull off Dagger Skills, just like those who use it in SAO & ALO. The only ones she showed were Rapid Bite, Quick Throw, Paralyze Bite, and Accel Raid. They decided to question her about that after they escaped this place.

The traps that they triggered before didn't activate again, which was fortunate, but it made the Heart Sisters understand how many traps the six heroes actually triggered on their way down.

"Seriously, did you activate EVERY trap here?!" Samson demanded as they ran, seeing the debris of one of the exploding traps.

"Hey, it's not like we could see where they were!" Sora argued, "None of us have a trap-sensing power!"

"Well, at least there's no more traps to deal with from now on, right?" Goofy asked.

Karma just had to happen at this point, as they reached the path that connected with the room the heroes fell through. Philia's senses reacted, and she shouted out, "Donald, stop moving!" The anthropomorphic duck tried to come to a halt, but as he turned and took a step back in his haste, his foot suddenly caused a piece of the stone floor to sink in. Suddenly, a wide part of the ceiling started to fall down upon him.

"Donald!" Sora cried out, as Samson reached out hastily, and snatched his wrist, yanking him out of the way before the ceiling fell onto him, creating a wall that blocked the path forward.

"That was close!" Hinata sighed in relief.

"You okay?" Yui asked Donald, who was on his belly, looking too terrified for words.

"Guess there's no way of returning that direction." Kirito understood.

"How was I suppose to know that was there?!" Donald squawked, getting to his feet and adjusting his beret.

"No, that was my fault." Philia apologized, "I knew that was there before when coming down here, but I forgot about it."

"Now what?" Sora asked, looking to the room he and his comrades were in before, "Should we try going that way?"

"But it's a dead end." Asuna reminded them, "The hole we fell through is too high to climb."

"There has to be a way out of here." Philia optimistically stated, "Traps like that are made not only to trap people, but to also keep out enemies from reaching the treasure. So if this room holds anything, it's a trick to escaping our predicament." She marched right into the room, with the rest of the Heart Sisters joining her. The six heroes looked to one another, before joining them in the room.

Once they were all in, Philia stood in the center of the room, while Flair and Hinata made sure to have the others keep a bit of distance from her. They watched as Philia concentrated for a few seconds, before opening her eyes as her eyes glowed, activating a skill of hers. She looked about the place, keeping an eye out for any signs of a trick door piece. Finally, she suddenly spotted something. From her perspective, the room was glowing yellow, but there was a red stone piece on the wall that was slightly sticking out, compared to around it. She wandered over to it, and shoved her palm onto the stone piece. It sank right in. The grooves of the wall glowed slightly, as an energy suddenly shot right into the middle of the floor. A large magic circle formed on the ground, startling the team as they backed away from it. It was gold, and very intricate.

"What…what is this?" Asuna asked, dazzled by the glowing circle.

"If I'm right, this is how we rise back up the hole." Philia answered, her eyes back to normal as she wandered over to the magic circle, "Only one way to find out." She stepped onto the magic circle, waiting for her theory to be true. Suddenly, the magic circle replicated itself, rose off the ground, and floated upwards, carrying Philia with it. Everyone gazed up at her as she rose up the hole, disappearing from view for a while. When the magic circle reached the top floor, it vanished as Philia hopped off of it. She looked down the hole, and shouted, "Come on, everyone!"

Everyone climbed onto the magic circle, and waited for a few seconds, before the magic circle rose them off the ground, carrying the eight of them up to join Philia at the top. They hopped off the magic circle as it vanished, finding themselves at the floor they recognized as a couple minutes away from the entrance.

"Way to go, Philia!" Flair cheered for her leader.

"You really are a skilled treasure hunter." Sora stated, "How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't." Philia answered, looking back at the hole, "However, that's the thrill of treasure hunting; not knowing if things will work out. If you find the treasure, you gain something great. And even if you don't, you'll learn from the experience, all the same."

She looked to Flair, Samson and Hinata as she added, "And if you have people to share that treasure and experience with, the worth is exponentially increased. In fact, I bet I have you guys to thank for opening up the floor to help us reach up here. Who knows if things'll work out if the stone floor wasn't open for me when I rose up, or if that room would open if that other path closed. Not knowing things'll happen, and finding out what happens, makes me feel alive."

The six heroes were admired at Philia's speech. "Well, if we're responsible for helping you get back here, then I'm glad things worked out." Sora told her.

"Well, it is as you say, Sora." Philia turned to him with a gentle smile, "My friends are my power. And I am your as you are mine, right?" Sora looked startled at how she knew a thing he said a lot, but he smiled confidently, and nodded in response.

Behind them, both Kirito and Asuna were in their thoughts as they watched Philia and Sora together. _'It's obvious that Philia has a history with Sora.'_ Kirito thought to himself, _'And based on other conversations, she knows Donald, Goofy and Jiminy as well. But the real question is why Sora doesn't or the others don't seem to know her…?'_

 _'…_ _And why does Philia know so much about him?'_ Asuna finished in her mind.

Both of them went back to recollecting what Philia said that also confused them. It was how she answered when Sora questioned if they knew her.

 _"_ _Well…you did, once. But that was a long time ago. I guess your memories about me are still locked away."_

 _'_ _Their memories of Philia were locked away?'_ Asuna echoed, _'What could that mean? Was there something that happened that made Sora and the others forget about her?'_

 _'_ _There are so many questions I have about her. Not just her connection to Sora, Donald and Goofy, but also her style of combat.'_ Kirito told himself, _'The way she uses her dagger, and uses those skills. They are so much like weapon skills of the virtual world back home, it cannot be just a coincidence.'_

Suddenly, Sora's eyes flashed, as he sensed something. He turned to the path towards the entrance as something started to appear from out of nowhere. Several Dusk Nobodies appeared, and some other Nobodies that were new to the six heroes. They looked like thin figures in cloaks, the torn bottoms brushing the floor ever so slightly, with twin, lengthy cleavers for hands, and thin arms.

"Nobodies!" Kirito growled, the nine heroes summoning their weapons.

Hinata looked to the new Nobodies, and gasped, "Philia, those are…!"

"I know." She growled, frowning at the sight, "Murderers."

"Murderers?" Sora echoed, looking to her.

"The name of the Nobodies." She explained, then she started muttering to herself, "And if they're here, then…" She closed her eyes, knowing who was the commander of those particular Nobodies, and knew that they might just see him. She glared up as the Dusks swerved their way towards the group, while they charged ahead, taking them on.

The Dusks were not the problem, as they were the least dangerous Nobodies. However, it was the Murderers that were the more dangerous ones. They went from zig-zagging quickly towards their target, only to cleave them with a cross slash. They spun like tops while their cleaver hands were out, their cloaks fluttering upwards to reveal the thin legs underneath. They would even stand in one place as they flail their weapons about like bloodthirsty maniacs, making it impossible to get close to them. However, they seem to melt into the ground, leaving their cloak behind, before rising back up when someone gets close, and slash them with a pincer slash.

"These new Nobodies are tricky, but also freakin' insane monsters." Kirito stated.

"True. For some reason, I'm almost getting a vibe off of them that is awfully familiar." Asuna muttered, "Brings back memories of SAO, when dealing with-." She was cut off by a Dusk trying to whip her, only for her to block with her Keyblade and retaliating with a triple thrust.

"We need to take care of these things before it becomes too much!" Hinata declared, unleashing her Eight-Trigram Vacuum Palm to blow back a Murderer, before turning to her dandelion-haired leader, "Philia, maybe you should show everyone your power!"

"Huh?" Philia asked, lowering her guard for a brief moment, before realizing, "Oh! I haven't showed off my Soul Burst." She looked to the remaining Nobodies, and stated, "In that case, let me demonstrate a personal favorite of mine. **Soul Burst: Jade!** "

She raised her Keydagger high as the silhouette of a physically fit young lady with long-tied-back hair, holding a glaive, unleashing a kick forward before diving into Philia's weapon. She twirled her dagger in front of her as it transformed, becoming a glaive like the one the woman used. Now using both hands, she twirled the blade above her head, before bringing it down behind her, ready to use it for battle.

She started spinning her glaive about, before sweeping away the first Dusk with a single slash. She then started unleashing combos with her weapon as she slashed, swept and thrusted her way through the competition of Heartless. That is not to say she only used her weapon, as she also unleashed kicks as surprise attacks, from low sweeps to reverse somersault kicks. As for any special moves with her lance, she would sometimes encase her blade in ice before slamming it at her opponent, or encasing her glaive in lightning, and bringing it down onto the ground, creating a wide-ranged Thunder-element spell.

"She's really taking them out for us!" Sora noticed as they made sure not to get in the way of Philia's storm of attacks while following from behind.

"Hey, this ain't even her best, kid." Samson warned him, as Philia ended the life of another Murderer, before seeing more Nobodies appear. They were about halfway to the entrance at this point.

"Time to get a little more serious…" she told herself, glowing with energy. Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked in amazement as they watch her hold her glaive out in front of her, shouting, " **Advance Burst: Re-Vamp!** "

She stabbed her weapon blade-first into the ground, which magically vanished before everyone's eyes, as she raised a hand almost elegantly, before whipping it to one side. A dark energy of red and black suddenly sparked around her body, consuming her. The six heroes looked worried, while Flair, Samson and Hinata were not disturbed in the slightest.

When the dark energy died down, Philia's entire appearance had changed. Her skin color gained an almost purplish color, and her eyes became red and yellow. Her attire was not her usual look, but a black and gold-trimmed bunny girl costume, complete with bunny ears, with one ear flopped slightly, a red choker with a gold heart, coattails coming off the costume, fishnet stockings, black stilettos, and gold bracelets.

"What…just happened?!" Yui questioned.

"Philia looks different." Donald noticed.

"She looks pretty, but scary." Goofy described.

"Advance Burst?" Kirito echoed what he heard her shout out, looking at her from behind, wondering what this power was.

Asuna looked to Kirito, then back to Philia, then looking back and forth a few times before blushing and shouting, "Kirito, don't stare at her so much!"

"Huh?" Kirito wondered for a second before realizing why Asuna was upset, and defended, "N-No! I wasn't looking at her like THAT!"

Philia glared at the Nobodies, saying, "Better steer clear. This lady is as beautiful as a rose, but demonic as the devil." At her last word, she unleashed multiple kicks in one go, taking out any that were close to her. She saw an oncoming Murderer appear from behind, and she did a spin kick to divert the cleaver hands from striking her, before unleashing a hip strike that created a heart-shaped explosion upon impact.

She turned to the two Dusks coming her way. Her hands glowed as heart energy surrounded her. She brushed her hands up her body, showing off her figure, before brushing her bangs, and forming a gun with her two hands, the heart energy formed at her fingertips, before firing it forward. The heart shot struck down one of the Dusks with absolute ease, while the other one came close to Philia, about to strike.

Philia snatched the head of the Dusk, surprising it, and she had a mischievous smirk about her. "How about a little gift from yours truly?" She asked the Nobody, "I'll treat you to a puff-puff." What she did next was not only something Sora, Donald, and Goofy to blush strongly at, but made Kirito hurriedly cover Yui's eyes to refrain her from seeing what was taking place, while averting his gaze, as well.

Asuna looked flustered, her cheeks rosy at what was taking place, before turning to Philia's team, demanding, "How is this deemed appropriate for a fight?! Doesn't she feel any shame for her actions?!"

"Philia was like that at first." Flair admitted with a confident grin, "But eventually, she realized that sometimes it takes a bit of 'womanly charm' to disarm your opponents before-." Her sentenced was cut short after the sound of a collision took place in the fight. Philia sent a charmed Nobody flying with a kick, causing it to move radically about, knocking out some of its' brethren in the process.

"And they say Nobodies don't have hearts." Philia stated, placing a hand on her hip, "Seems like they show their true colors when dealing with fem fitales." She charged forward, continuing her assault, charming and kicking her opponents with her beauty then demonic combo. She was clearly much stronger and more dangerous than what they had seen so far.

"Just a few more left." Philia stated, seeing the last enemies ahead of her. She jumped upwards, and unleashed her Finalé. She spun like a ballerina, creating a powerful pink tornado underneath her, entrapping the foes and causing them to spin about without control. She then glowed with a dark aura, chuckling maliciously, before releasing a storm of kicks that were amplified by her powers, consuming the range of the tornado, and destroying every Nobody within. When the attacks died down, Philia sighed in relief as her body glowed, reverting back to normal again.

She turned to the others as they raced up to her, with Yui exclaiming, "That was amazing!"

"You really took them all out with ease." Goofy pointed out.

"What kind of power was that?" Kirito asked, "It was definitely beyond that of a simple Soul Burst."

Philia paused for a second before understanding, "I guess you haven't reached that level of your Soul Burst powers just yet, huh?" Kirito, Asuna and Yui all shook their heads at this. "Well, when you use your Soul Burst in enough battles, you can level it up, and allow yourself to unleash a secondary form that is far more powerful, called 'Advance Burst'. Think of the first form of the standard level the soul of the person can use, and the Advance form being what their max level of power is."

"I get it. It's kind of like how we can use more powerful Finisher moves in our Soul Drives as we use it more in battle." Kirito understood, "And the more it is leveled, the stronger we are, right?"

"You got it right on the nose!" Philia answered.

"Well, I can't wait to see what the Advance Burst forms of your souls are." Sora stated, looking from the SAO trio, to Philia, before adding, "Though, it was kind of embarrassing to watch a couple of those moves you unleashed onto those Nobodies." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

Philia thought about the moves she had done, and suddenly became beet red in the face. The puff-puff, the Sexy Beam, and even the attire she wore. She was so use to it doing it in front of her friends, who were, for the most part, girls, that she didn't even consider the fact that she was doing it in front of her old friends, especially Sora.

 _(Insert SAO II OST 'A Brisk Conversation')_

"I…I…" Philia stammered, "Oh my gosh! I…I was doing all that. In front of Sora? I was…" She squealed as she covered her face in embarrassment before crippling to the floor, ashamed of herself. "I am so sorry you had to see that! I just…when I take on that Re-Vamp form, I end up getting a little carried away with my attacks. Please, don't think I'm the kind of girl who does stuff like that outside of fights!"

"N-No! Don't worry!" Sora seemed surprised at her embarrassment, "I understand the feeling! Whenever I was using my Soul Drives way back when, I kinda get carried away with the personality of the soul!"

As Philia was still in her embarrassed state, the others watching the pair had sweat-dropped expressions. "I'm confused. Why is Philia acting this way around Sora?" Yui asked out loud.

"Well, whenever Philia speaks about Sora to Hinata, Tink, Samson and I, she does show signs of her feelings for him." Flair explained.

"No kidding." Samson agreed, "She sometimes gets carried away when talking about him."

"So Philia's got a crush on Sora?" Goofy asked, causing Donald to chuckle a bit.

"I understand Philia's feelings." Hinata agreed, "If I did something like she did in front of Naruto…" Her imagination got the better of her, and she blushed and covered her face with her hands, exclaiming, "I would die with embarrassment!"

"Yeah. I would get uncomfortable if I did that, too." Asuna agreed, blushing as she averted her gaze from Kirito, "I-I'd rather not do stuff like that at all, let alone in front of Kirito."

"Let's just make sure we don't have Soul Pacts with anyone who do that kind of thing." Kirito prayed. He then approached Sora and Philia, saying, "Hey, uh, can we get a move on? The sooner we get back into town, the sooner we can get away from the Heartless and Nobodies, and bring the Bond Lazuli back to those girls."

"R-Right…" Sora agreed, looking down at Philia, who was slowly recovering her emotions, "Philia, shouldn't we get going?"

The embarrassed treasure hunter regained herself, and rose to her feet, blushing back at Sora, before giving a nod in response to his question. She turned away from the others, patting her cheeks to refocus herself, and got herself back to normal, leading the team out of the dungeon.

As soon as they left, each of them held back until they were gathered up together again. "Well, we got out of that place in one piece." Samson stated.

"And with treasure, to boot!" Flair added.

"I'm so glad our mission was a success." Hinata cheered, making a girlish pose at their accomplishment.

"Well, we wouldn't have gotten this far without Sora and his friends." Philia stated, looking back at the six heroes, "Thanks so much. I owe ya."

"You can owe us by having us use that Bond Lazuli when we give it to the girls at Maho-dou." Kirito requested.

"Deal." She replied, nodding confidently at this agreement.

Suddenly, there was a sensation that drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to see a Corridor of Darkness appear onto the fallen pillar nearby, and out came a familiar black-cloaked figure…only this one's cloak was different from any other Organization member. It was torn up to only go down to his knees. His black pants and boots were showing, revealing several brown belts wrapped around his legs.

"Well, now. Ain't this a party filled with familiar faces." The hooded figure stated, looking down at the group of heroes, "Old faces, all of ya. Well, except for the pipsqueak over there." He was indicating Yui at this statement.

"The Organization!" Donald growled.

"PHox!" Philia barked, drawing the attention of the six heroes. She clearly looked ferocious at the sight of him.

"Well, now. It's been a while, Philia." The man called PHox greeted, Tell me; You learning to be a bad girl, yet?"

"You just can't stay away from her, can't you?" Hinata questioned as she, Flair and Samson gathered around her. Even Tinker Bell rose out of Philia's clothing to join them.

"What can I say? I'm doing her a favor by helping her remind her of who she was." PHox stated.

"And I'm telling you that is not true!" She snapped back.

"Seems like they got a history with one another." Yui noticed.

"Yeah. And I remember Nariko and Yasu talking about that guy." Kirito recalled, thinking to the two people they met a long while back who were once not only SAO survivors, but also members of the Organization, Larxene and Demyx.

"Right. It's been a while since I remember that talk." Asuna admitted, "But if that's the case, this means this guy was the SAO survivor who became part of the Organization, too!"

"I know you guys are talking about me." PHox called out to the SAO pair, "And I know you guys all too well. Solo Player, Black Swordsman Kirito, as well as Second Commander of the KoB, Lightning Flash Asuna."

"Yeah, well if you know us THAT well, then I suppose were suppose to know you?" Kirito demanded.

"Oh, boy, oh, boy. You really don't remember me?" He asked, "Well, maybe I should show you who I am…" And he pulled off his cloak, revealing his face. He had black hair, with pieces of long hair falling from his forehead down his left side, beady yellow eyes, and a blue, scar-like marking going up the left side of his face.

He gave a sinister grin at the group, who looked serious as they glared up at him. However, it was Kirito and Asuna who looked shocked beyond words. "No…it can't be!" Asuna gasped.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Kirito muttered.

"You guys know him?" Philia demanded.

"Yeah…" Kirito answered, trying to calm himself as best as he could, "That guy…he was the leader of the most notorious red guild in Sword Art Online. The leader of the Laughing Coffin: PoH!"

"Pooh?" Sora echoed.

"Red guild?" Goofy followed.

"His name is spelled 'P-O-H'." Asuna spelled out, "It means 'Prince of Hell'. He led a group of killers back in Aincrad. He's very dangerous!"

"Oh, these guys already know that." PHox declared, looking down at the trio, "Or rather, they DID know about me. Guess they forgot about me, just like how they forgot all about you, Philia." The treasure hunter gritted her teeth, hating the man right now.

While Sora, Donald and Goofy wondered at his words, Kirito demanded, "How did you end up getting recruited by the Organization?! I knew the reason they would recruit people like Sugou, but a murderer like you?"

"Why? Because I fit the bill to do a lot of the messy work most others aren't too keen on doing." PHox answered, wandering down the fallen pillar, "I did my part for a while. Then I was given a chance to be a Seeker of Darkness, to take on the Guardians of Light in an all-out festival of murder and chaos. Who wouldn't want to take part in such a grand party?!"

Yui huddled behind her mother in fear, while Asuna growled, "I can't believe you would find taking the lives of so many people 'fun'."

"First people lives aren't enough. You're after people's hearts, too?!" Kirito demanded.

"Why not? It's really the same thing." PHox stated, "Hearts can be snuffed out so easily, be they be a human or a monster. And since there are millions upon millions of hearts to massacre, why should I hesitate? The heart yearns for what it wants. If it wants to kill, it kills. If it wants to make another suffer, it shall do so with the upmost pleasure. So I follow my heart's desires, to do what I want."

"That doesn't make it right!" Sora retorted, "Even if your heart want to hurt others, doing that is just wrong! Taking lives, severing hearts from one another, causing so much suffering, both from the living and the dead…doesn't that bother you at all?!"

"Don't try to judge my actions, little boy!" PHox retorted, "I'm sure you caused pain by taking the lives of the so-called villains you and everyone else here have slain." Sora gritted his teeth, hating to hear these words.

"Deep down, we are all murderers!" PHox spread his arms out wide, "The dark destroys the light, and the light destroys the dark. The only difference between us is if we are enjoying what we are doing or not! I survived in our old world because I chose to love the sight of bleeding hearts, and I wasn't the only one…"

He turned to Philia, pointing a finger at her, "For all you know, you and I were in the same boat. We were both murderers. Killers. Destroyers of lives. You don't have any memories of who you truly were in the past, so why choose to toss aside what might be the truth?!"

The six heroes looked to Philia, with Kirito, Asuna, and Yui not fully confirming, that she was, indeed, an SAO survivor. However, as PHox pointed out, she didn't seem to have memories of who she was.

"You're right. I don't know about who I was way back then. And it is something I am continuing to seek out." Philia admitted, curling her fists as she glared up at PHox, "But you just said it yourself; The heart has its' desires. And my heart's desire is NOT to be a deranged murderer like you. I choose my path, and I chose to protect as many treasured hearts as it takes, especially from people like you, your Organization, the Heartless, and anyone who will choose to cause them harm! I will not allow people like you to change me differently!"

Her Heart Sister allies all smiled and nodded in agreement at her statement. The six heroes could only look in admiration at the girls strength against her opponent. Clearly, she had dealt with a lot, but it only made her heart even stronger with every conflict. She, like their group, still had many things she wished to have, and she had weaknesses. However, she wasn't gonna allow such things to slow her down. To them, she was just as strong of a person as they were.

"Then I can't wait to see all that bravado and pomp be destroyed the moment you accept who you really are." PHox finished, raising his arm high, causing darkness to exert from it, "I shall have fun tormenting all of you once again in the future. In the meantime, why don't you have fun with this beast of mine…"

He created a giant ball of darkness, which suddenly dissipated to reveal a floating Heartless. It's main body was spherical, with glowing yellow eyes underneath a stone crown, jagged teeth underneath it, and twin rings crossing around its' body. However, it also looked like there was another pair of eyes and a set of teeth on the bottom part of the body, too, only instead of a crown, it had stones shaped like wind-swept hair. Surrounding its' body were four pillar-shaped parts, like the columns around the ruins. Two of them looked bronze-colored with gold ends, while the other pair were granite-colored with silver ends. They revolved around the main body in a square formation, like an alien saucer.

"It's Showtime, folks!" PHox finished as he vanished into a Corridor of Darkness, disappearing from the scene, as the nine heroes prepared to face the Heartless.

"He summoned a Heartless?!" Kirito questioned, producing his Keyblade.

"I haven't seen that one before!" Yui stated, "If only I had my scanner back from Hope…!"

"Hold on…" Philia pulled out a book surprisingly from one of her satchels, confirming it was magically larger inside than it looked.

She flipped through it as Donald asked, "Why are you reading, now?!"

"That's a book on Heartless." Hinata explained, "And not just them, but she has books on Nobodies & Unversed, too. Mistress Gretinal gave the books to us."

"Got it!" Philia called out, finding the picture of the Heartless, "The Ruins of Disaster. It is said to be swarm of Heartless that took control of cursed ruins. Watch out for the columns around its' body, as well as what face is facing up."

At this point, the Heartless' granite columns suddenly split from the rotating around the main body, flipped about in the air, before hurling down at the heroes, who dispersed to avoid the attack. The columns came out of the ground they slammed into, and continued to rotate around the body as it slowly moved about the field.

"We gotta hit the main body!" Philia told the team, "However, the columns are much weaker than it, so we can destroy them before the body."

"Then we'd better take out his weapons before we take it out!" Kirito demanded, "Let's use that same formation as last; melee fighters out front, taking out the columns first!"

"Right! Hinata, Donald and I can handle magic and healing until the columns are cleared." Asuna followed, with the two nodding in agreement.

"Right. Let's go!" Kirito shouted, leading Philia, Sora, Flair, Goofy & Yui into the close-ranged battle.

The Heartless sent the two granite columns slamming towards Kirito and Flair's positions, but they dodged out of the way to avoid the main damage. They skidded to a halt as Sora and Yui went into action, unleashing combo slashes with their Keyblade and fan, damaging the columns that were on the ground until they were sent back up to rotate around the Ruins of Disaster.

Goofy & Philia leapt up at the columns, and unleashed a bash & slash technique with their shield and dagger together on one of the bronze columns. However, the damage it did didn't seem as effective as they thought.

As they descended, Philia hopped onto Goofy's shield, and pushed off for an extra boost to slash the pillar a few more slashes on the bronze pillar. Again, the damage wasn't as effective.

"Is the bronze not that effective against physical damage?" She asked herself, "In that case, I need to target the other kind of pillar…"

She descended again when Tink shouted, "I got you!" And she spiraled around Philia, performing an Aerial Dodge technique that gave her a double jump. She came out of it, her Keydagger glowing a light blue before unleashing her Rapid Bite Dagger Skill to unleash one more powerful slash, this time striking at a granite pillar. The attack caused the pillar to break and fall apart, crumbling to the ground.

"Yes! One down!" Philia told herself as she landed on the ground, before seeing the Heartless spun the columns, pointing them downward, and slamming them down like pile drivers, creating shockwaves that sent Philia flying backwards. Goofy caught her before she tumbled onto the ground. "Thanks a bunch!" She thanked the anthropomorphic dog, who chuckled in response.

"We got an opening, thanks to you!" Asuna called out, "Hinata, Donald, let's go!"

"Right!" They answered together. Asuna fired of Water from her Keyblade. Donald unleashed Fire from his staff. Hinata triggered Thunder Twin-Lion from her fists. All three attacks swirled about one another as they shot towards the Ruins of Disaster. The Heartless saw the attacks coming, and its' head rotated, revealing the other head underneath. It used its' other granite pillar to block the attacks, which struck it. The results were making the attack less effective than before.

"Our weapons did more damage to those columns than the magic attacks." Sora noticed.

"Then that means we know what is not effective." Yui understood, "The granite-colored ones are resistant to magic attacks, while the bronze-colored ones are resistant to physical."

"But the same can't be said the other way around, I bet." Philia added, "We can target the other pillar, and use magic on the bronze ones. That should give us an opening to the main body!"

The Heartless suddenly caused the three columns to spin like propellers as they rotated around its' body, like a barrier. It turned to Yui, Flair & Sora's position, and charged towards them with its' spinning columns. "Move!" Flair shouted as the three ran away from the attacker as fast as they could. They hopped over a fallen column and ducked as it passed right over them, coming to a halt and ceased the rotations of the columns.

"How dare you!" Samson roared, grabbing Flair's foot and pulling her into a spiky spin-dash, much like Sonic from way back when, and rolled towards the Ruins of Disaster, before leaping off a stone. It ceased the spin dash, and the two-in-one team were near one of the granite columns.

"Get ready, Filia!" Samson declared.

"Okay, but you have to remember it's 'Flair'!" She retorted, and they unleashed their 'Banshee' technique, with Samson shapeshifting to make Flair to look like a sort of moth-girl, and she flew right at the pillar with her rapier pointed forward. After a second of pushing, the attack broke through, and destroyed the pillar, causing her to strike the main head of the monster. She bounced off, and landed onto the ground, Samson reverting to normal hair style.

"Awesome!" Sora cheered.

"I've never seen hair used in such a way!" Yui exclaimed.

"Well, there's a reason why I count on them in the brute force department." Philia stated.

The Ruins of Disaster roared, and flipped itself about, with the two remaining columns on either side of its' face. It then started punching them forward one at at time as it charged at Flair, who turned and got a face full of one pillar. She got struck hard, sent flying right back towards Sora and Yui, smashing into the pillar behind them.

"Flair!" The two cried out, seeing the damage Flair & Samson took. They saw the Heartless stop it charging punches, and looked down with a roar at the pair.

Yui readied her tessen as she shouted, "We have to protect her! Let's use Team Attack!"

"You got it, Yui!" Sora answered, readying his Kingdom Key. They went back-to-back with their weapons out, gathering wind magic, then connecting their weapons together, making them spin. " **Homing Tornado!** " They shouted in unison, unleashing half-a-dozen tornadoes with their powers, striking the body and columns of the Heartless, damaging it all.

Flair, at this point, downed a potion, and slowly rose to her feet, before she and the other two exited the area they were standing at. This gave the Asuna, Donald, Hinata & Philia to charge in. "Those two can perform a Team Attack?" Philia questioned, looking at Sora and Yui with a slight jealous look.

"They're not the only ones." Asuna answered, "Donald, you think you can pull one off with me?"

"Of course I can!" Donald argued, "Let's show 'em!"

Philia looked to the two as they charged ahead, then stopped alongside Hinata as she shouted, "W-Well, we can take care of one pillar, you handle the other! Hinata, let's go!"

"Okay…" The pale-eyed ninja answered, feeling Philia's competitive nature take form.

Asuna and Donald saw the Ruins of Disaster turn and started the repetitive punching with its' columns again, and they jumped off towards the right side of it to avoid the attack. "Okay! We'll take this one!" Asuna responded to Philia's declaration.

"Time for some magic!" Donald declared, spinning his staff.

The two hovered in the air as they twirled their weapons, summoning a circle of firework rockets around them as they shouted, " **Duck Flare!** ", sending the rockets homing in on the one pillar, obliterating it, and having plenty more rockets to damage the Heartless.

Philia and Hinata went to the left side, and pulled back the hands closest to one another back. Hinata summoned a glowing blue lion head made of chakra from her hand, while Philia's dagger shined brightly from within the lion head, causing it to shine from blue to white, the mane becoming wilder. " **Gentle Step: Lion Salvation!** " The two shouted, thrusting their combined attack at the second pillar, which became a stream with the lion's head in the front. It chomped down onto the pillar, and there was a burst of light magic that not only destroyed the pillar and damaged the Heartless, but also healed those near the light.

"That's both columns down!" Sora declared.

Kirito and Goofy charged in as the Heartless was weakened, with Kirito shouldered his Keyblade as it glowed. "If Philia can do it, so can I!" He declared, and he performed Sonic Leap Sword Skill, while Goofy did a discus throw with his shield. The two attacks collided with the Ruins of Disaster. "Everyone, attack it, now!" Kirito shouted.

"Right!" The other seven answered, charging from all sides to attack the Ruins of Disaster.

They kept peppering away at the Heartless, who could do nothing but spin its' body to keep people at bay. However, when it did that, it only meant to switch from physical attacks to magic and long-ranged Shotlocks, and pepper it from a distance.

"It's almost down!" Hinata shouted, racing forward to unleash another palm strike, with Donald, Goofy, & Flair all joining her side.

Suddenly, the Heartless's eyes glowed, and four of the columns nearby, both still standing and fallen, levitated, and suddenly gathered itself around the main body.

"Wha?!" Donald gasped.

"It took some columns from around the place?!" Samson demanded.

The Heartless then made the columns shine, transforming them into pairs of the same kinds it had before; two granite-colored, and two bronze-colored. It then pointed all four of them outwards, and spun them around, like blades of a fan. The two-faced main body then spun, and came to a halt, with the two faces now on the left and right sides of the spherical body, as it lowered itself closer to the ground, and flew at the four off-guard fighters. They got struck painfully by the attack, and were sent flying clear across the place, landing painfully far away from the others.

"Guys!" Sora and Philia shouted, seeing their four injured allies.

"Heads up!" Kirito called out, and the five saw the Ruins of Disaster and its' spinning columns come at the five remaining. They began running away from the threat, with the exception of Philia, who concentrated at a standing column, and unleashed her Airstepping technique, shooting towards the top of the said structure, distancing herself far from the attack.

"That's a clever idea." Sora noted, seeing what Philia did.

"Let's do it, too!" Asuna declared, holding Yui's hand. Sora, Kirito and Asuna concentrated, seeing three other pillars, and shot themselves towards them, with the young mother pulling her daughter along with her. They ended up on the column far from the Ruins of Disaster.

"We were so close…" Sora grimaced as Asuna pulled Yui onto her column.

"We need to take out the columns. We can't get near it if it keeps swinging those things around." Philia spoke up, "However, it was already a hassle taking those things out in the first place. We need a quicker way of dealing with them."

"You mean Soul Burst, right?" Kirito asked her, who nodded in response.

"I can handle the bronze-colored ones." Yui declared, drawing the attention of her friends and family, "My Yuna Soul Burst can deal with their magical weakness."

"Then I'll help her and take out the other ones." Asuna followed, looking to Kirito and Sora, who nodded in confidence that she can pull it off.

"Then we'll come in from behind and finish the job!" Sora declared, indicating himself, Kirito and Philia.

"That's the plan." Philia finished, "Girls, get going!"

"Right!" Asuna and Yui answered, pushing off the column as they charged towards the Ruins of Disaster. Yui produced her Keyblade as she descended.

" **Soul Burst: Yuna!** " Yui shouted, producing the illusion of the young summoner she was channeling, who dove into her weapon, transforming it into a summoner's staff.

 **"** **Soul Burst: Tifa Lockhart!** " Asuna declared, producing the illusion of the young brawler girl, before she dove into her Keyblade, transforming into a pair of leather gloves.

As Asuna pulled on the sleeves of the gloves to tighten them, Yuna summoned Valefor landing onto its' back at it angled itself in the air, flying towards the Ruins of Disaster. Asuna hit the ground in a front roll, before charging towards the enemy.

"Hit those bronze columns!" Yui shouted, raising her staff high and unleashing energy projectiles from her staff, while her avian partner unleashed Sonic Wings, sending shockwaves from its' wings at one of the bronze columns. The combined attacks eventually broke it in a few seconds.

The Heartless tried to smack down Yui by sending its granite-colored column. Valefor pulled her away as Asuna came rushing in, evading the structural piece, before unleashing a Beat Rush technique on the granite column, before going right into a Waterkick that destroyed it.

"Yui, use your final attack!" Asuna ordered, backing away from the Ruins of Disaster.

"Already?!" Yui questioned the choice in surprise.

"Leave it to Kirito, Sora, and Philia to finish the job!" Asuna told her with a smile, "Our job is to clear the way for them."

"A-Alright!" The young girl understood, seeing the Heartless ready its' last two columns, about to smash them onto the two of them. They backed away from the Heartless to avoid getting smashed then made their moves.

Asuna unleashed Meteor Strike, rushing to the granite column, snatching it in the middle, and after a straining groan, she carried it up with her into the air, before tossing it down to the ground with a tremendous explosion that caused the column to destroy itself, and the explosion to damage the Heartless. Meanwhile, Yui ordered Valefor to fire Energy Nova, creating a magic circle, and firing an energy ray from it, hitting the bronze column, and eliminating it, also causing some damage to the Heartless.

"Now!" Yui and Asuna shouted, their weapons reverting back to normal as they backed away to allow the other three to leap into action, Sora jumping more upwards than forwards. He focused his Kingdom Key on the Ruins of Disaster, as it began to spin to try to avoid a close-up attack.

"Take this!" He shouted, unleashing Ragnarok from his Keyblade, sending scattering lights down at the Heartless, damaging it hard, and making it stop spinning. Kirito and Philia roared as they readied their key weapons, making them shine as Kirito readied his Slant Sword Skill, while Philia readied her Rapid Bite Dagger Skill. They roared as one as they went right past the Heartless, slashing it on both sides, before landing on the ground. They swiped their blades to one side, as the Heartless flailed in pain, before crashing to the ground, rolling to one side, and vanishing in darkness, leaving its' heart to rise into the air, vanishing from sight.

Far behind, Donald, Goofy, Hinata, Flair & Samson were watching the final attack and defeat take place. "Waaaah… Why do they have to always finish the job?!"

"No kiddin'! I wanted to deal the final blow!" Samson growled.

"Now, now, guys…" Flair calmed them.

"All that matters is that we all did our part to defeat the Heartless." Hinata pointed out.

"She's right. No need to fret about it." Goofy added. Samson and Donald still furled their arms, huffing in disgruntlement.

Up front, the five heroes gathered together on the spot the Heartless vanished. "We did it, you guys!" Sora cheered.

"Great teamwork." Asuna complimented them.

Philia looked to Sora and noticed, "I'm just amazed at how easily you could unleash Ragnarok. You really have been improving a lot since we last saw one another."

"Thanks. Though, I still don't even remember when we last met." Sora admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"For the time being, it's probably for the best." Philia assured him, patting his shoulder as she walked back to where the others were, "Come on. Let's bring the Bond Lazuli back to the town!"

Sora looked a bit confused at her words as she walked away. "It's for the best? What does that mean?"

"I'm not so sure." Asuna answered, "But she definitely knows you a lot. We might need to bug her in order to get some answers."

Kirito was curious about what Philia's connection was to Sora. However, there was one other person that he was more concerned about than that. Yui looked to her father and asked, "Papa, are you that concerned about Philia knowing Sora? Because I know she's a good person."

"No. I can tell she's a good person, too." Kirito admitted, "I'm…more concerned about PoH, or PHox." Yui, Asuna and Sora all looked to him, understanding his concerns. "How long has he been part of the Organization?" He wondered, "He seems too familiar with them to be a new to the group, especially if he's one of the sixteen Seekers of Darkness."

"Maybe we should ask Philia that, too." Asuna added, "The two seem to recognize one another, so maybe she knows how long he's been in the group."

"Okay…" Sora agreed, though a bit less enthusiastically. He looked back at Philia, wondering if he should ask her about their connection. He was curious, but there was a part of him, somewhere deep down, that told him that even if he asked, she wouldn't answer.

The others looked to Sora for a moment, seeing the struggle on his expressions, before Yui suggested, "We should start with heading back to the Maho-dou to hand over the Bond Lazuli."

Kirito and Asuna looked to one another. Asuna smiled in agreement, and responded, "Sure. We'll save the interrogation for later."

"Sure." Kirito answered, realizing what was best for now. With the decision made, the four rejoined the others before they made their way back to town once more.

* * *

 **Magia Street, Maho-Dou Magic Shop**

It took a while, but the nine heroes made it back to the town again, and went straight to the magic shop. Sora opened up the door, and saw all the witch apprentices, Laralie, Patina, and a new, but familiar face among the group. She looked like she was in her early twenties, with an elegant and slender appearance, long green hair reaching her lower legs, and green eyes. Her attire relatively Greek-based, being a white dress with red and gold trimmings, and several gold ornaments about her body, including a golden tiara, a large golden necklace, golden vambraces, and hanging ones going down her belt, which was held up by a red fibula on her left hip. She was also wore heel-like sandals, with her left leg having a long white sock. On her left arm, she had a gold and blue mirror shield. On her right, a gold and blue staff.

She turned at the sight of the heroes, and greeted, "Well, hello, everyone. We meet again."

"Oh! Lady Palutena!" Sora greeted, shocked but pleased at the sight of her.

"This was clearly an unexpected surprise." Kirito stated.

"Who's she?" Hinata asked, blushing at the sight of her, "She looks like a goddess."

"That's because she is, in her world." Asuna explained, "That's Lady Palutena, the Goddess of Light, as well as a friend of ours and Gretinal."

"Gawrsh, we didn't think we'd bump into ya here." Goofy told her.

"Why are you here?" Sora asked, "Is your world in trouble again?"

"No, no. Thanks to Pit, we ended up taking care of Hades for good." Palutena assured them, "But Gretinal did say to come here to assist you in some matter. Plus, she told me this place did need a bit of a goddess's touch."

"Some…matter?" Sora asked, thinking for a second, then realizing, "Does this have to do with the souls inside us?"

"As a matter of fact, it is." Laralie answered, "But first, did you gain the Bond Lazuli?"

"Got it right here." Philia answered, pulling out the said magic gem, presenting it to the magic group. Dori and her friends all gazed in awe at the sight of it.

Patina flew over and grabbed the gem that was twice her size, feeling it. "Heh. You kids did a pretty good job finding this gem." She attempted to take it away from Philia, but she held it tight.

"Hold on. I believe a payment for our hard work is in order." She informed the magical frog.

"Ha! Like I made any agreement to the payment." Patina retorted.

"Hold on. We did!" Dori argued, "We'd promise to help Kirito, Asuna and Sora out with reviving their sleeping souls if they got us the Bond Lazuli!"

"There, you see? That's the payment!" Patina told snobbishly at Philia.

"For them, yes. But my friends and I were the first to reach the gem. Hence, we get a reward for our efforts. We are treasure hunters, after all." She smirked mischievously as she requested, "How about a new, more powerful set of magical bracelets for Hinata?"

"Ph-Philia…" Hinata said in a slightly nervous way.

"Fine. I'll scrounge up some cheap ones." Patina started, "Then I'll-."

"No! The best ones you got." Philia bargained, "My friends need to be as strong as I am."

"Are you out of your mind?! These things don't grow on trees!" Patina barked, pushing her body in Philia's face.

The treasure hunter yanked off Patina, stretching her lips as she retorted, "Hey! I could go for far more expensive things! I'd say this is far more reasonable than you think."

"I'm already in a lot of debt thanks to being unable to use the Finishers I bought! I can't give away pricy stuff like that!"

Everyone watched the two argue with such intensity. Hinata was unsure if to intervene, since she was fine, with or without upgrading her gear. The six heroes could clearly see that this was out of their expertise to try to break up. Even Palutena decided it would be best not to intervene in such a trivial matter, in her perspective.

"First Lisbeth arguing with Patina, now this…" Reanne muttered, recalling to something that happened a while back.

As the two growled at one another, Flair intervened by having Samson push the two apart, causing Patina to squash into the wall, before sliding down to the ground. "Alright, that's enough!" The parasite growled, "I'm getting a headache just hearing you two argue!"

"He's right. Look, let's take the middle route, Philia." Flair suggested, then turning to Patina, "How about instead of having it for free; half-off on the magic bracelets. Can that work?"

Patina was face down on the ground as Laralie descended to her, saying, "I think that's a more reasonable trade. Let's do that."

"Fine! Whatever! Let's just get this over with!" Patina growled, snapping her finger. She summoned a new pair of magic bracelets, made of some sort of steel with dewdrop white gems embedded around it.

"They do feel powerful." Philia stated, taking the bracelets. She saw the price tag on them, and looked at it. "Adamagia Braces. The price would be pretty steep, but half-off? I can deal with that."

"I can take you over to the counter!" Reanne quickly suggested, running to the check-out counter to ring up the bracelets for Philia.

"Good. Now we can get to the main part." Asuna sighed in relief.

"Right. Reawakening our sleeping souls." Kirito followed.

"So, how do we do that with the Bond Lazuli?" Sora asked, looking at the gem, "And what does this have to do with Palutena?"

"According to the book, having the gem isn't enough." Ellie explained, walking with Dori and Mirabelle at her side, "The soul can awake if you have the person who gave you their's with you, or if someone who is deeply tied to the soul of the person is there, too."

"Oh, so THAT'S why Palutena's here." Yui understood, looking to the Goddess of Light, "Since she is very close to Pit, she can be useful to help awaken the soul!"

"Oh, now I see." Palutena understood, "Gretinal didn't give me the details, but now it makes sense."

"But we still don't know how ta use Sora's souls, since he can't use Soul Burst or Soul Drive." Goofy pointed out.

"Actually, we did figure out a way." Dori told them, "There is one other option to use the souls; as summons for battle."

"Turn the souls…into a summon?" Sora asked.

"I think that's a great idea." Asuna stated, "You can call on their souls to help you in battle. It kinda reminds me of how we use to summon Yui's full power a long time ago." Yui giggled at this, recalling that time. Only now, she could use the Second Form to pull off that power for herself.

"Yeah, that IS a great idea!" Sora agreed excitedly.

"But we'll need a Heartbinder." Donald pointed out.

"Heartbinder?" Mirabelle echoed.

"Yeah, like this one." Sora answered, pulling out the Dream Heartbinder he had, and showing it to the girls.

"Wait…I think I saw a charm that looked like that in our accessories!" Dori recalled, running over to a table on the second floor. She reached it, observed the things for sale, then discovered it. She snatched it and brought it down to show the heroes. Sure enough, it was almost the same in design, but the embedded gem in the Heartbinder was black and blank.

"We can transfer the souls into it, and awaken their power when we need them!" Kirito understood.

"So apart from Palutena helping awaken Pit's soul, Vaan can awaken his own soul. That just leaves Naruto's…" Sora summed up.

"U-Um…" Hinata stepped forward, saying, "I am close to Naruto. I mean, I'm not as close as others to him, but still…"

"Don't doubt your bond." Philia told her, taking the newly purchased equipment, and giving it to her partner, "You love him, don't you? That can reawaken his soul, no problem." Hinata blushed at Philia's comment.

Just then, the door bell rang, and the team turned to see Lightning and Snow enter into the scene. "Well, ain't this place pretty crowded." Snow noticed.

"Heya, Snow." Kirito greeted, the two wandering up to one another.

"Kirito. Heard you need me to wake up what I gave to you." Snow stated, "Well, I'm your man for the job." The two pounded their fists in greeting each other.

"Where's Vaan?" Asuna asked Lightning.

"He's right behind us." She answered, turning to the door, to see Penelo forcefully bring in Vaan with her. His attire was relatively the same as before; a loose cropped open metal vest with metal accessories on the sides, fastened by a blue-gemmed pendant. Unlike before, he had on a large-collared white shirt underneath it. He had on dark pants held up by a red ribboned sash belt, tucked underneath a pair of knee-high steel boots.

"Ouch! Ouch! You don't have to pull me all the way here." Vaan argued.

"You would've gone rushing off to explore the place, if I didn't drag you along." Penelo argued, letting him go as soon as he was away from the door.

Vaan looked disgruntled, then saw Sora, and his expression became bright as he said, "Hey, Sora. Long time, no see."

"Hi, Vaan!" Sora returned the greeting, "Glad you arrived."

"I guess this means everyone is finally here." Kirito understood, "We can start the awakening, right?"

"Well, Patina?" Dori asked, looking to the magical frog, who rose up on her floating dustpan, finally recovered.

"Fine. Let's get this over with." She sighed, "Let's get everything prepared.

After a few seconds, Sora, Kirito and Asuna were standing around the Bond Lazuli, which floated in the center of them at their feet. Sora clung onto the blank Heartbinder in his hands. Around them were the four witch apprentices, standing in a circle, with Vaan, Snow, Lightning, Palutena, and Hinata near each of them. Everyone else watched from outside the circle.

"Girls, ready yourselves!" Patina declared, holding her magic orb around her neck up high. It shined brightly, while the four apprentices raised their wands, as their bulky tops spun. Magic energy shot from their wands and magic orb, converging on the space above the Bond Lazuli, which glowed and started rising up. Kirito, Asuna and Sora watched the Lazuli rise up, converging with the magic energy, and making it shine even brighter and spin.

"Now think of the bonds you have with your souls within the three." Laralie told the five standing with the apprentices. They did as they were told, with Lightning concentrating her thoughts on her soul in Asuna, Snow focusing himself on his soul in Kirito, and Vaan doing the same with his soul in Sora. Palutena focused her thoughts on Pit, while Hinata focused her thoughts on Naruto, both concentrating on the souls of the two in Sora. The five began to glow, which reacted with the Bond Lazuli.

The light of the magic energy suddenly shot down in three streams, striking Kirito, Asuna, and Sora in the chests, making them gasp as they felt the light penetrate their very beings. From within their hearts, the five souls that were being focused on were awakening through magic. Sora's, in particular, suddenly shot out of Sora, spinning around him, before the trio dove into the Heartbinder in his hand. He looked down at it, and saw the gem of the Heartbinder shine, then become orange, with white outlined pictures of Vaan, Naruto, and Pit's heads, in a triangular formation.

"Yes!" Sora cheered, pumping his fist at the sight of the Heartbinder working. He turned to Kirito and Asuna, who had their eyes closed, feeling the souls of the ones near them awaken in their hearts. They flashed their eyes open together, and summoned their Keyblades.

 **"** **Soul Burst: Snow Villiers!"**

 **"** **Soul Burst: Lightning Farron!"**

Their Keyblades shined, as the illusion of Snow appeared over Kirito, while the image of Lightning appeared over Asuna, before diving into their respective Keyblades. Kirito's Keyblade suddenly turned into ice dust, which swirled around behind him, causing a bear emblem to appear on the back of his shirt, before the dust settled on his hands, magically forming into gloves, which he pumped, ready for action. Meanwhile, Asuna's tossed her Keyblade upwards, where a bolt of lightning struck upon it, transforming it into Lightning's signature weapon, the Blazefire Saber, which was in gun form as it descended. She caught the weapon, spinning herself around as she transformed it into sword form, taking a fighter's stance like Lightning would.

The magic died down as everyone looked at the trio in amazement. "It worked!" Yui cheered.

"For Kirito and Asuna, yes. But what about Sora?" Lightning asked, looking to the Keyblade wielder in question.

"Only one way to find out." Sora answered, holding the Heartbinder close to his heart. He was about to concentrate before Patina shouted, "Hey! Not in my shop! Take it outside!"

"Oh…right." Sora answered, realizing that activating a summon in here would not be the wisest idea.

* * *

After a moment, the heroes, Lightning, Snow, Vaan, Penelo, Palutena, and the Heart Sisters all joined outside on the street, making an open space for Kirito, Asuna, and Sora to show off their reawakened powers. Before they prepared, though, Kirito and Asuna felt they should be good opponents for Sora so each can demonstrate their powers.

"Time to use this!" Sora declared, concentrating his magic on the Heartbinder, making it shine with energy. He closed his eyes, focusing on the power he was activating, then shouted, "As one! **Link: Trinity Soul Drive!** "

From within, the three souls came flying out, before bursting with light. From the souls came the physical appearances of Vaan, Naruto, and Pit, all landing on the ground in front of Sora. Upon closer inspection, though, they were more beings made of light instead of the actual people. They turned and walked over to Sora, who held his hand out. The three placed their hands on his, and shined. All of a sudden, Sora started floating as the three characters became balls of light that surrounded Sora, who could feel the power of his three friends, before readying himself for a battle.

"Come on, Asuna. Let's see what each of us can do!" Kirito started, readying his fists.

"I'll go first." She responded, transforming her weapon into gun form, and shot Ruin spell shots at Sora from it. He responded by summoning Pit from one of the orbs, who shot a salvo of arrows from his bow to completely destroy the attack, and come at Asuna, who leapt over the attack to avoid getting hit.

At this point, Kirito was rushing forward, encasing his fist in ice as he readied to unleash a Frost Strike attack. Sora turned, switching out Pit for Naruto, who produced a large Rasengan to counter the punch. After a power struggle, Sora's soul partner pushed Kirito away from him. He skidded to a halt, and slammed his fist to the ground, unleashing a wave of ice in a straight line towards Sora, who swapped out Naruto's soul for Vaan's, who unleashed Cataclysm, sending a row of stalagmites towards the ice, canceling each other out.

"Not bad, Sora." Kirito acknowledged, "The souls you are using are giving you all range of attacks to fight against. But does it have an all-around attack?" He unleashed a Blizzard spell out at Sora, while Asuna, who appeared from the opposite side of Sora to Kirito, unleashing a Thundara spell. Sora backed off, avoiding each attack that came at him, skidding to a halt. He leapt high, and used Pit again to unleash a volley of arrows down at the two, who avoided the attack as best as they could.

Asuna leapt high, shifting from gun mode to blade mode, and unleash a spinning slash towards Sora, who couldn't use his Keyblade at the moment to block the attack. He ended up getting slashed hard, sending himself crashing into the ground.

He got back up, telling himself, "Better start working on my strategies with this power…" he grimaced. He looked up, and saw Kirito take a leaping dash at Sora, about to slug him while he was recovering.

" **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " Philia suddenly shot forward, her Keydagger shining as she summoned an illusion of herself, way back when, before it dove into her weapon, transforming it into a standard dagger weapon with teeth on one end of the blade. She got in front of Sora, making her dagger shine a green-yellow color, unleashing an Armor Pierce Dagger Skill to counter Kirito's fist.

They backed away from each other as Kirito exclaimed, "Oh, come on! That's the second time my fist was countered!"

"You gotta overpower the attacks harder than that, Kirito!" Snow ordered.

Philia got Sora to his feet, before turning to Kirito and Asuna. "Sorry. I just felt a two-on-one fight wasn't fair. Why don't you dance with me?" She readied her dagger for action.

"Kirito, her dagger." Asuna pointed out, "Doesn't it remind you of a dagger used in SAO?"

"Yeah. The Swordbreaker." Kirito answered, "I remember some dagger users back in SAO who used them to counter sword-wielding enemies. It looks exactly like them."

Philia got into position, and charged at Kirito, who created ice from his fists to block the attack. The two then engaged in a fist vs. dagger fight, with Kirito unleashing Blizzard-element attacks, both long-ranged and short ranged. Meanwhile, Philia was more close-quarters combat with her dagger, though she did have a Dagger Throw Skill that did prove annoying.

Meanwhile, Asuna had the skills for both close-ranged with her Gunblade in sword mode, and unleashing magic attacks in gun mode, which consisted of all the spells she could use, plus Ruin spells. While Sora continued to use his Heartbinder to unleash powerful attacks from Vaan, Naruto and Pit.

Kirito and Philia backed off from one another as the former felt something within. Using the power in the fight made him feel something even more. "This power…I can do more with it…" Kirito muttered, feeling the power emanating. He concentrated, before shouting, " **Advance Burst: Shiva Sisters!** "

Kirito's left forearm suddenly had a glowing symbol on it, and a icy blue crystal formed in his left hand. He tossed it up and punched it, forming a magical circle of icy blue energy appeared. Out of the circle came two mechanical female humanoids. They appeared around Kirito, before joining hands and contorting their bodies, turning into a motorcycle. Kirito leapt onto it, revving the engine as he prepared to fight.

Donald, Goofy and Yui looked awed and amazed at the sight of Kirito's sudden new power. "What just happened?!" Yui questioned.

"He summoned my Eidolons to the battle!" Snow noticed.

"Yes. And it seems like Asuna might be tapping into something as well." Lightning noticed, indicating as Asuna and Sora stood away from one another, with Asuna clenching her fist to her chest, feeling a power surge, much like Kirito.

 **"** **Advance Burst: Odin!"** Asuna shouted, bursting with energy. A rosy red crystal suddenly came from a spot near her heart, and she grabbed the crystal, tossing it upwards, before leaping up and slashing it, causing a magical circle to appear, emanating off rose petals from it. Out of the magic circle came a humanoid being, holding a double-sided, hook-shaped blades. It stabbed into the ground, before leaping up to join Asuna. It suddenly transformed its body, taking on a horse form. Asuna fell right onto its back as it galloped through the air, before stopping on the ground next to its weapon, the Zantetsuken, which Asuna grasped the handle of, and dividing it into two blades, ready for battle.

"Wh-Whoa…" Sora muttered, backing away from Asuna and her new stallion ride she was on.

"You…went into Advance Burst!" Philia gasped, looking at Kirito on his new ride, "But didn't you just awaken that soul? How can you already progressed to this level already?!"

"Don't ask me." Kirito answered, looking at the bike, "I'm just as shocked at this as you are."

Just then, Sora's power suddenly dissipated, and the souls vanished, returning to the Heartbinder. "Aw, man. Looks like my time is up." He grimaced.

"Then we'd better stop the testing of our new powers, right now." Asuna suggested, hopping off of Odin, patting him, "We at least know the basics of our powers, right?" She looked to Kirito and Philia, who nodded in agreement. All three of them extinguished their Soul Burst powers, and reverted to normal.

"That was still a sight to behold." Palutena stated as she and Hinata walked over to Sora."

"Same here! I was so glad to see Naruto fighting again, even though that wasn't completely him." Hinata pointed out.

"You still got my good skills going, Sora." Vaan admitted, "Glad to see you haven't lost my touch."

"Thanks." Sora thanked them, "I still hadn't seen what their final attack could do, but I'll find out when I fight someone who isn't a friend of mine."

As the four fighters had their allies all gathered around them, Philia was curiously asking, "But I just don't get it. How in the world did you guys end up going to that level of power so easily? I mean, whenever I use a Soul Burst, it takes a few fights before I get to the Advance Burst level. But you guys went there instantly."

"I might have a theory." Lightning stepped in, drawing their attention, "If those souls are the same ones you used in your Soul Drives before, then it's possible that the experience that you gained from using them also came with."

"Meaning…?" Sora started, looking to Kirito and Asuna, who were puzzled

"I get it." Yui understood, "In our world's terms, it's like transferring our character data from one game born from the Seed to another game. It may be a different game, but the experience of a power that is used in both games is transferred over."

"Right. Much like transferring my game data from SAO to ALO and GGO." Kirito understood, "So all the leveling Asuna and I did with our Soul Drives is relatively the same. And if I remember correctly, I maxed out Soul Drive with Snow's soul."

"I did too. With Lightning's." Asuna added.

Philia hummed as she was in her thoughts, then stated, "Well, there's only one way to find out if that theory and what you guys said is true. There is one power that can be accessed with the Soul Burst, but only if you maxed out your experience with them."

"What is it?" Yui asked.

Philia looked to Kirito and Asuna as she started, "Focus on those souls you just said, and repeat after me; 'Soul Armament'."

"Soul…Armament?" Kirito echoed, confused.

"It's better for you to try it, and I'll explain afterwards."

Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, then closed their eyes, concentrating on Snow and Lightning's souls within them. " **Soul Armament**!" They called out together. Suddenly, the garments they wore shone brightly with magic energy, and transformed into new attire.

Kirito's attire was the same as he remembered it when using Snow's Soul Drive; a black beanie, a beige trench coat with frayed hems, a light blue vest over a chest-revealing black shirt, black pants with large gray boots, a striped blue scarf hanging from a studded belt across his waist, and his Elucidator pendant around his neck.

Asuna's was not the same as her Lightning's Soul Drive form from before. Her attire was gold and silver armor, which made her look like a valkyrie. She had a silver chestplate under black and purple leather top, armor pieces around and in front of her waist attached by belts and decorated with purple and gold cloth pieces in front, armored leggings with steel boots and spikes at the knees, shoulder guard pieces, long gauntlets that spiked at the shoulders, with long-sleeved black gloves going up to her upper arms, and a sash of white feathers that covered her left hip. Her Wayfinder still dangled from her neck.

Everyone looked amazed at the sight of the pair as they looked down themselves. "Woah!" Donald, Goofy, Sora and Yui gasped, looking at the two's new looks.

"New garments? And armor?!" Sora stated, looking at the two's new looks.

"Not bad." Snow acknowledged Kirito's new look, "Rockin' my old look, there."

"It does feel nostalgic." Kirito responded, liking this look.

"I don't remember the Soul Drive I had before looking like this." Asuna pointed out, looking down her feathery sash, then up at Lightning, "Have you worn this before?"

"No…" she answered, "Though, the appearance reminds me of old scriptures in my home world. About the knights of the goddess, Etro."

"A knight to a goddess, huh?" Asuna asked, looking to her armor, to Palutena, who felt her gaze.

"Well, it would give me ideas for new attire for my soldiers in Skyworld." The Goddess of Light acknowledged, "Maybe I should go cloth shopping to see if there are any of its' kind." Asuna gave an awkward chuckle in response to her excitement for a task that felt so beneath a goddess.

"These are nice, Philia, but is there any reason to change our clothing?" Kirito asked, looking to the girl who instructed them into these attires.

"Of course there are!" She answered, "For one, you can style yourself in any way so you won't have to wear the same old boring attire all the time. I mean I enjoy the look Mistress Gretinal gave me, but still…"

"It does feel nice to switch up my clothing once in a while." Asuna admitted, "I can have fresh new looks if I wanted to!"

"I wanna try on new garments from my Soul Burst." Yui stated excitedly, "I'd love to try new clothes, too!"

"I'd love to see what your new garments would look like on you!" Asuna admitted with a motherly glee.

Kirito looked to the trio of girls, muttering to himself, "I never had a problem with what I looked like. In the game, as long as the stats were good, I was fine."

"You know stats aren't always important when it comes to fashion, Kirito." Philia scolded him, "Seriously, try to think about your appearance, once in a while."

"Why am I getting chastised with how I look?" Kirito questioned incredulously.

"Although, you'd be fortunate to know that these garments also come with their individual benefits." Philia continued, "The Soul Armaments not only grant new looks, and but a sort of 'bonus' to your skills. Tap into the soul that gave you your new attire, and they can tell you what benefits they gain."

"A bonus, huh?" Kirito asked, closing his eyes, and trying to connect with Snow's soul. After a few seconds, the answer suddenly came into his mind, and he opened his eyes. "So my standard attacks now gain a Blizzard-element to them." He understood, pulling out his Keyblade, and gripping it tightly as the teeth of his Keyblade glowed an icy aura, "And my Blizzard spell is boosted in damage, too.

"The same can be said about mine, only my attacks are Thunder-element based, as well as my Thunder spell." Asuna understood, pulling her own Keyblade out, and causing the teeth of her Keyblade to electrify.

"Attire like that can be produced in mid-battle, making it useful if you need an advantage over your opponent." Philia explained, "So if an opponent has a weakness you can expose, or want to boost the power of certain moves, use the bonuses of your Soul Armaments to take that advantage."

"Fashionable, and useful." Asuna understood, looking to Kirito, "So will you have problems with changing your look, now?"

"Not as long as I can gain the right powers from them." He answered. Asuna rolled her eyes, noticing Kirito wasn't getting the full picture.

"So, do you have Soul Armaments, too?" Sora asked.

"Of course she does." Flair answered.

"How else do you think she knows this power?!" Samson barked.

"Can you show us one?" Goofy asked.

"I wanna see!" Donald barked.

Philia looked to the trio, then answered, "Well, I do have a nostalgic one." She concentrated, then said calmly, " **Soul Armament.** " Her garments shined brightly, dying down to reveal her attire. She wore lightweight attire, with a blue and dark blue top, with armor pieces covering her breasts that were held up by dark red cross-straps, a blue cape with white-lined designs on the back, blue detached sleeves, with the left one being poofier than the other, which was underneath armor piece, brown fingerless gloves, black short shorts with brown belts, and a blue cloth piece covering her right hip, a satchel strapped to her left leg, black and white-lined leggings, and brown boots with metal pieces on the top of her feet.

She opened her arms up and showed off her attire as she asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"It…looks pretty cool." Sora answered.

"The light essentials of a female treasure hunter." She explained, "I wore this attire a long while back. Now, they're my Soul Armament from my Second Form. They boost the power of my Dagger Skills, too."

"That's a pretty handy set of garments, then." Kirito understood, his expression growing serious. He looked to Asuna, who nodded in confirmation at what he was thinking about.

"Philia, can the three of us talk privately to you for a little bit, please?" She requested.

"Uh, sure." She answered, a little concerned about why this was so private. She wasn't the only one.

"We wanna listen in, too!" Donald added.

"No. I think it would be best if we three spoke alone, without anyone else." Kirito retorted.

Sora, Donald and Goofy looked a bit depressed at being left out, while Yui looked confused. "Mama? Papa? What are you guys going to talk about?" She asked.

"We'll explain it to you later on. Okay, Yui?" Asuna assured her, crouching down to place her hand on her shoulder. After a pause, Yui nodded in response to this.

"Why don't you guys hang with the others while we talk, okay?" Philia requested to Flair, Samson and Hinata, then pulling at her pocket on her belt, she added, "You too, Tink."

The pixie flew out of her pocket as she stated, "Come on, Philia! I won't say anything, even if I am listening in. You and I are best friends, right?"

"We are." She responded, "And I'll tell you everything they spoke to me about afterwards, so you can record it. In the meantime, go pester Donald."

"Shouldn't be too hard…" Tinker Bell answered, flying over as Sora and his friends, including Jiminy, spoke about with Lightning, Snow and Palutena, while Yui spoke with Philia's other comrades. Vaan and Penelo had already left the scene.

* * *

As soon as they were a good distance away, they reverted back to their normal garments as they found themselves near a cafe that had circular tables that had four seats around it. Philia, Kirito and Asuna each took a seat. "So, what is it you wanna talk about?" She asked the two of them.

Kirito and Asuna looked to one another, then Kirito started, "First of all, we just want to make things clear. You don't know about your past, right?"

"Everything from well over a year ago, yeah." Philia answered, "Why do you ask?"

"We…already could tell WHO you are. At least, some evidence as to who you are." Asuna started.

"The fact that you can use Dagger Skills, what PHox said about you, some hints that I felt from Argo, and even your armor and weapon." Kirito listed things down, "These clues alone tell us one thing about you. You're an SAO Survivor. You're from our world, right?"

Philia looked surprised at the two, then looked down, her face a bit on the confused side. "Well, I'm not totally certain. Someone did say I was in a game world before I ended up in another one called Traverse Town."

"Traverse Town?" Asuna echoed, looking to Kirito, "Wasn't that were Sora said he appeared after he lost his home almost two years ago?"

"Yeah. I'm sure that's the name of the place." Kirito answered, then looking back at Philia, he asked, "Who was it that told you that you were in a game world before that?"

Philia paused, then she answered, "Some guy named DiZ."

Now the two were even more surprised than ever. DiZ, who's real identity was Ansem the Wise, knew about this girl?

"Can you explain to us about what he said?" Asuna asked, "And, does it tie to how you know Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy?"

The treasure hunter closed her eyes, recalling what she was told by the bandaged-faced man from long ago, before looking up at the two. "Okay. But only if you promise not to tell Sora and the others about this." Kirito and Asuna nodded in answer to this.

Philia took a deep breath, then started, "I somewhat know about the world I came from before this. It was a world called 'Sword Art Online'. DiZ said it was a virtual world where people's hearts and minds were trapped inside a game, and that they had to clear floors to reach the top to beat the game. He said that while he was exploring the world, I ended up encountering him before the game was cleared. Just as the world was disappearing, the Organization was about to steal my heart and turn my body into a Nobody like them. But DiZ saved me…at a cost."

"A cost?" Kirito echoed.

"Yes. He sent me through a digital wormhole of sorts. But since it was incomplete, he ended up doing something he never meant to do; He split my heart in two. One part is the me you see, still in the avatar I was in back in that game. The other part…was said to have returned to my real body. Because of this, my memories were fragmented. I hold some memories, while the other me holds the majority of my other memories."

Kirito and Asuna were amazed at this. In short, she was very similar to them during their first couple of adventures with Sora and his companions. Only difference was that their memories remained intact when their minds and hearts were sent through the digital wormhole.

"I awoke in Traverse Town, where I became friends with some people who lived there. A few days later, I met Sora, who lost his world and ended up there, along with Donald and Goofy, who were searching for the Key bearer. In short, we ended up forming a team, and went on a crazy adventure to stop the Heartless, who were led by a woman named Maleficent, along with this Heartless man named Ansem."

"So you went on an adventure with Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy?" Asuna asked, recalling the story Sora and the others told about that particular enemy, "If you guys were so close, why don't they recognize you?"

Philia looked to one side, then looked back at Sora, who was laughing at Donald, while chasing Tinker Bell around angrily. "Because their memories of me, along with anyone connected to Sora, were wiped out. Or to be more precisely, they were put to sleep."

"How is that possible?" Kirito asked, surprised.

"Due to an…incident that happened a long while back, Sora, Donald and Goofy had to forget about me in order for them to move on. And since all of the people I met on my journey back then were connected to Sora, they too had forgotten about me ever being part of it. I also had to move on, so I could find the other part of me that is out there. So, I've been traversing worlds, taking out Heartless, trying to find clues, finding some treasures here and there, but not really having a proper destination."

She turned back to Kirito and Asuna, "Then, one day, I ended up going through a wormhole between dimensions. That's how I met Mistress Gretinal, who sent me on a mission; To discover the source of the Cyber Heartless and Dark Hybrids; where Dr. Tenma's main base of operation was at. She promised to help me return home if I helped her help you guys out from behind the scenes. That's also how I reunited with Tink, as well as made friends with Flair, Samson and Hinata."

"A dimensional wormhole?" Asuna repeated, looking to Kirito, "You don't think that was Disney Castle, do you?"

"Well, your story does seem to fit in all the right places, here and there." Kirito understood, "So you are an SAO Survivor, but you ended up almost taken by the Organization the same day it was cleared."

"The fact is that we know a couple people who were also SAO Survivors who were taken by the Organization, too." Asuna explained, "They're named were Nariko and Yasu. Their Nobody names were Demyx and Larxene. Ring any bells?"

"Demyx, no. But definitely Larxene." Philia answered, "That girl was a pain in the rear with her tormenting Sora a while back. However, from what I heard, she was betrayed by PHox."

"And he was also an SAO Survivor. The worst one of all." Kirito grimaced, "Whether it was coincidence or he was chosen for a reason, I don't know. All we do know is that we can't let him, or any of the Organization, get what they want."

"I know. I had encountered them before. But PHox is definitely obsessed with me." Philia gripped her hands tightly, which began to quiver. "Is it because we are from the same world, or my lack of memory. But he's constantly tried to make me believe I was a villain. A murderer back in the virtual world. I refuse to believe him at all. At least…not until I find out who my other self is, and restore the rest of my memories."

"Well, maybe we can help you." Kirito suggested, making her look up at them.

"We know where our world is in this dimension. We can guide you there, if you want." Asuna added.

Philia looked amazed at the offer given to her. It was an option that she never thought getting so easily up until this point. And yet…

She smiled as she answered, "Thanks, but no thanks. I already decided to go along this path, for the time being."

"But why?" Asuna asked, "Seems like you really want your memories back."

"I do. Really, I do." She answered, "But I want to continue on this adventure a bit longer with my dear friends. Besides, Dr. Temna and his group of villains he's created are still out there. I think it would be best if we protect the worlds before my selfish desires. And who knows? I might stumble upon my world again at some point. But until then, protecting the light of the dimension comes first."

Kirito and Asuna both looked a bit satisfied at her response. There was no doubt that she was a kind young lady, and one that was greatly influenced by Sora and his friends. Thanks to him, her understanding of things that are more important than the things she gains for her own sake expanded, not to mention the importance of her friendship of her teammates, both those who remember her and those who don't.

Kirito and Asuna stood up as the former stated, "Well, I do have more questions, but for now, I know I can trust you. You are a close friend of Sora and his friends, after all."

"Agreed. I hope you can become friends with us, too." Asuna prayed, reaching out a hand to her.

Philia stood up as well, taking Asuna's hand as she responded, "I'd like that, too." The two girls smiled at one another for a moment, appreciating the fact each of them wanted to become friends.

* * *

They rejoined their friends again, which was only now the remaining members of Team Keybladers and Heart Sisters now, since everyone else left. "What were you guys talking about?" Donald asked, annoyed by Tinker Bell after her tormenting him.

"Just stuff." Kirito answered.

"What kind of stuff?" Goofy asked.

"Something only the three of us are allowed to know…for now." Philia explained, "So please don't try to prod us for the truth, please?"

Donald, Goofy and Yui all looked curious about what they were talking about, but it was Sora who said, "Okay, as long as you tell us eventually."

"Yeah. Someday." Philia answered.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to come along with us?" Sora requested to Philia, "We already make an awesome team, and we do share the same goal in stopping the Organization."

"As fun as that sounds to do that, Sora, I'm afraid I must decline." Philia answered, "We have our own mission, as instructed by Mistress Gretinal."

"We're hunting down Dr. Tenma's base." Flair explained, "He's the one whose been unleashing those Cyber Heartless and Dark Hybrids."

"Yeah, we know about that." Sora admitted, "We met his daughter, Tears."

This came at a surprise the Heart Sisters, for some reason. They looked to one another, worried, as Hinata questioned, "Tears?"

"How long ago was this?" Tinker Bell asked.

"Just a few days ago." Kirito answered, "Why?"

"Cause we thought we trashed her a long time ago." Samson answered.

"Guess Dr. Tenma was able to heal her up." Philia understood, "Hopefully, she wasn't as strong as she was before."

"How much do you know about her?" Yui asked her curiously.

"Not a whole bunch. She was powerful, but rather monotonous in our encounters with her. She barely had a personality."

"Well, you are right about her being powerful." Kirito admitted.

"But she definitely had a personality." Asuna followed, "A snobby, spoiled daddy's girl personality."

"And what's more, we believe she might a connection to Yui." Jiminy added.

The girls looked to Yui, who looked down, worried. "Can't see any connection to her, if you ask me." Samson bluntly stated.

"Let's hope we find out about what the connection is." Hinata prayed.

"In the meantime, while you guys are taking care of your ordeal, we'll handle our mission." Sora spoke up, "We're searching for the Lost Princesses of Heart. There should be four of them in this dimension."

"Four more Princesses of Heart?" Philia echoed, "Guess some things don't change, do they?" After Sora gave a curious look, Philia realized she might've hinted at something, and continued, "Well, just in case if either one of us finds any info on each other missions, we'll send it to Argo. Sound good?"

"Good thinking." Kirito answered.

"Well, we'd better head back to our ship." Tink told the girls.

"Agreed. We have more worlds to explore, more treasure to be found, and hopefully, more hints to where Dr. Temna's base is at." Philia stated.

The Heart Sisters separated themselves from the other heroes as Hinata said, "Well, it was great meeting all of you guys."

"We hope to see you again!" Flair added.

Philia looked to Sora, and smiled sweetly as she stated, "I wish you guys the best of luck. And it was really great to see you still smiling and happy."

Sora grinned happily as he answered, "Thanks. I can't wait to see you again." Philia blushed, but nodded in agreement. She couldn't wait to see him again, too. The girls and Samson waved goodbye to them before racing off towards the hangers on the other side of town, leaving the six heroes alone.

"We should get going, too." Kirito told the group, "We need to get going to our mission."

"Agreed, but let's say farewell to Liz and the others at her shop." Asuna suggested.

"Good idea." Goofy agreed.

"Let's get moving!" Sora declared, and they wandered off back towards where they last saw the blacksmith.

* * *

 **Liz's Blacksmith Shop**

The team made it back to Liz, who was alone with Silica, Pina, and Hope in the shop with her. They were just talking to one another when they turned to see the heroes. "Hey, you're back!" Liz greeted, "We were just talking about you."

"Oh, really?" Kirito questioned suspiciously.

"What about?" Donald asked.

"Well, for one, I'm giving this back to you." Hope told Yui, handing back the scanning device, "I updated the system to feature a full selection of Heartless, Unversed, and even some Nobodies."

"Thanks!" Yui thanked the young man, taking the scanner, and reattaching it behind her ear.

"As for you guys, Silica ended up getting this package by mistake, but I know it's for you." Liz told Kirito.

"H-Here you go." She said, handing a small envelope to Kirito. Sora and Asuna gathered around him as he unveiled it, and tipped it down to drop what was inside. Out dropped a keychain, a silver chain with a pale aqua ingot medallion at the end.

"A Keyblade keychain?" Sora noticed.

"It looks…familiar." Kirito noticed the medallion.

"I remembered it. I practically made my best sword ever out of it for you." Liz recognized it.

"Then…this is…" Asuna realized.

"The Dark Repulser, but in a Keyblade form." Kirito understood. He quickly summoned his Keyblade, and swapped out keychains. The weapon transformed, becoming a weapon that highly resembled the Dark Repulser weapon he wielded back in SAO. It was a mixture of aqua green colors, with the grip and the back part of the guard being a darker color. There was an aquamarine gem on front of the guard. The shaft was long and thin, and the teeth were a deep aqua green color, crown-shaped, and with another aquamarine gem embedded into it, as well.

Everyone looked in awe at the blade, with Kirito looking up and down the blade, before stepping away from everyone, and swinging the blade a couple times. "Well?" Liz coaxed, "Does it feel like the one I made for you?"

Kirito paused, then smiled as he answered, "Still a heavy weapon. A great sword." He turned to the two girls as he said, "Thanks for this weapon. I'll put it to good use against the darkness."

Silica and Liz looked to each other, grinning eagerly. "Well, of course!" Liz answered, "And don't forget you can upgrade that beauty here. Just let me know, and give the materials, and I'll take care of it!"

"No problem, Liz." Kirito answered, doing a quick-change between the Dark Repulser and Elucidator.

"So, we have to get going, right now." Asuna told the two, "I hope you and everyone else stay safe here."

"We will. Don't worry about us so much." Liz told her.

"You will come back, right?" Silica asked, looking to Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Of course we will!" Sora answered.

"Yeah. We'll come back to visit." Goofy assured her.

"In that case, if you are traveling to different worlds, can you gather up resources for us?" Hope asked.

"What kind of resources?" Yui asked.

"This town does need a whole ton of resources here and there, and there isn't a whole lot of things outside of the city." Hope pulled out an electronic pad, pulling up something, "We did place up a request section for the people around town, but we still have a lot of materials we lack. I bet there are a whole ton of things in other worlds that we can use to fill these requests. And if you do that, you'll not only be helping the city, but also improving shops and locations, and all other kinds of things."

"Sounds like those town and city building games you'd find in video games." Kirito compared, "But I won't deny that will be beneficial to us in the future."

"Great. Is there a device I could send this data to?" Hope asked.

"How about the Gummiphone?" Donald asked Sora, who looked confused, then pulled out the said device. He handed it to Hope, who took it and examined it. He turned around and started working on both electronic devices. Finally, he finished, and handed back the Gummiphone, which now had a new app added to it, with the letters 'O.R.C' on the picture.

"Now you have a list of all the requests on that app." Hope told them, as Sora poked the app button, and it revealed a list of requests from people around town, "It'll update once in a while. Also, I added a function that'll let you know if there are resources nearby you can use to fulfill the requests."

"Handy." Kirito stated, as Sora placed the Gummiphone away.

"Thanks so much for letting us know, Hope." Asuna thanked him, "We'll do our best to bring all the resources to you."

"Well, take care of yourselves!" Sora told Liz and Silica, waving goodbye as the six heroes exited the shop.

"Bye!" "Take care!" "Come back soon!" Liz, Silica and Hope called back, with Pina chirping a farewell.

* * *

 **Swiftline**

The team returned to their ship once more, and after saying a farewell to Sahz, they took off into unknown space once more. They all took their seats as Sora started, "It was awesome to see everyone was okay."

"And we even made new friends, too." Goofy added.

"And apparently some old ones." Asuna added.

"I'm still confused about why we don't remember who Philia is." Jiminy stated.

"Me, too." Sora agreed, "But…just being around her, I feel pretty safe."

Donald and Goofy looked to one another, and smiled and nodded in agreement at this statement. Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, and smiled. Even if they forgotten about Philia, their feelings connected to her were still there. Was there more to those feelings? They were not sure. Although, it was clear Philia had feelings for Sora. But considering Kairi was also close to Sora, what could this mean? Were they rivals in their affection towards him? They were not completely sure. Either way, they were fortunate to have more allies out there, exploring worlds to find out the location of Dr. Tenma.

"Yui, do we have any worlds to go to?" Kirito asked his daughter, who tapped away at the computer at her father's request.

"Three, actually." Yui answered, looking at the map, showing three new locations apart from Green Square and Resolute Oasis.

"Let's hope one of the Lost Princesses of Heart are there." Sora prayed.

"Set course for the nearest one, and let's see!" Kirito answered.

"Right!" Yui answered, locking in the coordinates. The Swiftline shot forward, heading towards the next world on their journey.

Outside of their view, there was another ship. It was a Gummi Ship, just like Sora's team. It had a sort of triangular look to it, with the hull having a sort of heart shape to it. Colorwise, it was blue, violet and white. This was the Heartelia, the ship of the Heart Sisters.

Inside the ship, the said group of girls all watched the Swiftline go off. "You sure you're okay with not going with them?" Tinker Bell asked, sitting on Philia's shoulder, while her eyes were shadowed.

"We know you really wanted to go with him." Hinata pointed out.

"I would…" Philia admitted, looking up to show she was holding back some tears, "But…I still need some time before I am ready to be by his side once again. But…right now, I don't feel like I can be with my friends. Not after what happened…"

"Geez, didn't you say it was a really long time ago?" Samson reminded, "You gotta let it go and move on, Philia!"

"You know it's never that easy, Samson." Flair retorted, "They might not remember about why she left them, but she does."

"And until I get my memories back, I'll support him, Mistress Gretinal, and everyone else in stopping Dr. Temna and the Organization." Philia determinately stated, glaring forward as she took the controls, "Let's go, Heart Sisters."

"Right!" Hinata, Flair, Samson and Tinker Bell answered as one, as the Heartelia shot forward, heading off to their next destination.

* * *

 **Next time on Sword Art Kingdom III**

 **Melromarc! Hunting the Shield Demon!**

 **plus**

 **Bonus Episode: Argo's Record Sphere Collection #1**


	9. Record Sphere Collection Set 1

**I'm sorry it took so long. Lot's of IRL things to deal with. However, thanks to the CV-19, I am stuck at home, unable to go to work, and I just felt like writing so much to make sure people on the internet have something fun to read. While this isn't the next world, it is a series a short stories involving characters who are not part of the main cast, so they have a bit of time to shine. They are the Record Sphere Collection! This is set #1!**

* * *

The team gathered around Argo as she started, "I got the finest bits of info available. I also have some Record Spheres for purchase, too. Nya-ha-ha…"

* * *

 **Record Sphere #1: Business-girls**

 **Location:** Maho-dou Magic Shop

It was still within the first week of when the allies of Kirito's world ended up in Resolute Oasis. During that week, the team not only got use to their new jobs, but also got to know the town a lot more. Liz decided to go and look about at the 'competition' she had to deal with.

"A magic shop, eh?" She muttered, examining the products in the shop, picking up a ring, then at the price tag on it, "I've seen some prices like this in ALO, but this feels a little over-priced to me compared to the stats and design."

"The price of that is perfectly fine!" Patina spoke up, flying down on a dustpan to meet Liz, "Not like you would understand the business I'm running."

Liz seemed startled by the sight of the new creature before her as she exclaimed, "Wha-! What are you?! Some sort of slime monster?!"

"Who are you calling a slime?!" Patina snapped angrily.

A chuckle came from above as Laralie descended down next to the insulted Patina. "She's not something like that, though it is very funny. She's just a magical frog."

"A frog?" Liz questioned, not recognizing Patina as any frog she knew.

"And just who do you think you are?" Patina growled.

"I'm Lisbeth. I'm gonna be working at the blacksmith shop in town." The blacksmith introduced herself.

"Ha! You have no business sense whatsoever to run a blacksmith if you can't understand the qualities of goods compared to the price they're worth!"

"Are you mocking my business skills?!" Liz demanded, "I'll have you know I ran a damn good business in a couple of worlds!"

"This ain't no lemonade stand like the places you worked with." Patina mocked, "We run a strict business here. We make sure every product we make is able to sell."

"Ah, so I take it you aren't the only ones running this joint?" Liz noticed, "Then allow me to meet these other people who're working for you."

"We're right here!" Liz looked up to see Mirabelle sliding down the railing of the stairs, followed by Dori and Reanne running down behind her. Ellie ended up in a different room on the 1st floor. They all gathered together around Liz, who was rather surprised.

"You girls…are you even old enough to work for a shop?" She asked, "You don't even look ten years old."

"Aah…we're just helping out a relative of Reanne's!" Dori frantically exclaimed.

"Not very convincing…" Liz easily noticed the lie.

"Dori, this world isn't like ours." Mirabelle reminded her, "We can ditch that ol' excuse while we're here."

"Oh, right…" Dori realized.

"They're helping me until they become full-fledged witches." Patina explained, "And becoming one won't be cheap."

"I see. So it's that kind of employment run you have." Liz understood, looking to the four girls, "Do you even enjoy this job, then?"

"It ain't no easy walk in the park, but we do work hard and try our best." Mirabelle explained.

"We actually handcraft some of the accessories around here." Reanne explained.

"You guys make 'em, eh?" Liz understood, "Let me see some examples of your work, then…"

They went around the shop, where Liz discovered some of the teams work. Most of what they made were mere trinkets and accessories with some added bonuses in stats. As for the designs…

"Well, I can tell you that three of you guys are pretty skilled in hand-crafting these things." Liz noticed, indicating Reanne, Mirabelle and Ellie, but shrewdly looking at Dori, who knew what was coming, "But you, on the other hand…I would hardly even sell them at half-off."

"Kinda saw that one coming…" Patina admitted.

"She got you there, Dori." Ellie bluntly stated.

"Well, excuse me for not getting this right. They're a lot harder than the stuff we made back home!" Dori defended.

"And you weren't good at those things, either." Mirabelle added. Dori puffed her cheeks as she made a noise three times.

"Is there anything you are good at, instead of craftwork?" Liz questioned her.

"Well…I can definitely eat an entire steak in one sitting if you give one to me!" Dori answered, her mouth drooling at the thought of a big, juicy steak in front of her came to her mind. Everyone else look at her with sweat-dropped expressions.

"Anyone ELSE wanna tell me what she's good at?" Liz asked, looking away from Dori.

The remaining female cohorts thought for a moment. "Not really…" Ellie answered.

"She's a bit of an airhead…" Mirabelle started.

"…And a total Ojamajo." Patina added.

"I know there's something she is good at." Laralie muttered.

"Oh!" Reanne suddenly came to an idea, "Well, I have known Dori ever since we were in kindergarten, and I do know one thing. She's a try-hard." Everyone looked to her, wondering what she meant. "Despite her flaws, she doesn't give up when she wants to support someone, even people she doesn't like. And her easy-going nature is very infectious." The others who knew her well looked to Dori, then one another, and nodded in agreement.

"I guess that is true." Ellie agreed, "You do have that kind of way." Dori rubbed the back of her head and gave an awkward chuckle.

"Almost sounds like Kirito…" Liz muttered to herself, smiling at how despite he can be, he was a supporting and caring person. Just the thought of how he helped her many times made her blush.

"You're looking a little rosy there." Mirabelle noticed Liz's expression.

"Wha-what?! I wasn't thinking about anyone!" She hastily defended. It was rather unconvincing, and it made the young girls and Laralie look at her with mischievously curious smiles. Liz cleared her throat, and continued, "Well, after hearing all about that, I would believe she would do well in customer service instead of craftwork. If she's as helpful as you guys say, you'd best set her on helping customers. Is there anyone very good at customer service amongst you guys, too? How about a good selling point to bring in customers?"

"Well, Ellie is a child idol back home." Reanne pointed out.

"Yeah! She could do performances to draw in customers!" Patina realized, then giving a mischievous smirk, "I bet Petunia wouldn't mind if we 'borrowed' her talent for my shop. Hehehe…" Her devious chuckle was discomforting to the others, especially Ellie.

"Who's Petunia?" Liz asked Laralie.

"Patina's rival." She answered, "She's also Ellie's manager."

"I see…" Liz understood, "Well, I know my friend, Silica, loves to sing. If you want, we can support each other's businesses if we hold some entertainment for the people of the city, while promoting each other's businesses. If we do that say once a week, we can inspire hope to everyone, draw in customers like crazy, and we'll be more popular than any other business in the city!"

Patina looked inspired at this idea, and she snapped her finger in agreement as she smugly answered, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, kid. A business collaboration, where you scratch my back and I scratch yours. But you'd better bring the talent, cause my girls ain't no slouches."

"And my partners and friends won't be a disappointment to you, either." Liz and Patina looked at each other with a glint in their eyes, their business faces set.

"Weren't they at each other's throats when they first met?" Mirabelle questioned, looking bewildered at what just changed.

"And now, they're business partners…" Laralie continued.

"I feel like things'll only get tougher on us from here on out." Dori muttered, with Reanne and Ellie nodding in agreement.

* * *

 **Record Sphere #2: Royal Arrival**

 **Location:** Agil's Bar

It had been a while since Kirito's friends had been in this world. At this point, Agil had just finished getting his bar up and running thanks to the support of Klein, Basch, and even the soldiers under the said man's leadership.

Basch wore a rustic-looking armor that was mixed of leather and metal, from the metal piece on his upper chest, waist and mail gauntlets, greaves, elbowguards, and right upper arm, to the leather full armor underneath, including a mahogany leather guard on his upper left arm. He also had a metal-mail hood that he had pulled back, and ripped waist cape calling down the sides of his legs.

"Thanks for all the help, guys." Agil thanked the pair.

"Just doing what Lady Ashe tasked me to do." Basch answered, "She and Mistress Gretinal were very specific on making sure you and your friends from Kirito and Asuna's world were prepared to aid those who arrive in this world."

"Yeah. Plus, I could really use a drink after all the crazy things we had to digest since we got here." Klein added, setting down the fourth wooden chair at a circular table, "Make sure you compensate me for all the hard work I'm doing, Agil."

"First, why don't you actually make this place look like a decent bar before you actually request drinks." Agil scolded him, then to Basch, he added, "Will you and these guys be staying for a drink after you're done?" The soldiers overheard this, and many of them voiced their delight at the idea of downing a drink or two.

"We have some other ordeals to prepare for, but we will take you up on that offer." Basch assured him, causing the soldiers to groan in dismay from behind him. Deciding to ignore this, the captain continued, "We still have to complete the monarchy of the kingdom, which is no easy feat. Lady Ashe is working her hardest, but there is still many things to correct before it is stable. This town is not like our home of Rabanastre."

"Man, I'd hate to run a whole city like this." Klein muttered, stopping his work to ponder on the very idea of leading this place, "My job at home is already a pain in the ass, especially my boss."

Suddenly, the door opened up on them, causing the bell to ring. Everyone turned to see another of one of the guards, along with Penelo, who was muttering, "This way, please." To someone they didn't see. When the person appeared, it was revealed to be Shirayuki, along with Obi, and three other characters.

The first was a young man close to Shirayuki's age, which was about in his late teens. He had an average height and build, medium-length white hair, and crystal blue eyes. The attire he wore looked more like someone who was rich and royal in a way; a long-sleeved coat that was mixtures of blue and light blue, along with white trimmings, gold buttons, and a red gem on his chest. He also had a pale blue belt with gold fastners, white pants, blue boots with gold trimmings, and a sword attached to the left side of his waist. He wore a glove on his left hand, which covered his palm and middle finger.

The second man was taller than the first, with a slim muscular build. He had short, sea blue hair, amber eyes, and wore a brown and white tunic and gambeson, which had gold buttons and a long mahogany tie. He wore white pants underneath, black boots, and also held a sword on the left side of his white belt.

The third was a young lady, only a little older than Shirayuki. She was that of an average height, with mid-length blonde hair tied in a low ponytail, blue-grey eyes. Her attire looked like formal royal attire for guards, which was purple short-sleeved top, with gold trimmings and embellishments, and a Chinese-styled collar. She had a black and gold-trimmed waist guard, which she hung her sword, which was on her right instead of her left. She wore black pants, purple and gold-trimmed long boots, and gray arm bands on her lower arms.

"Who are they?" Agil asked.

"I dunno. But those chicks, though…" Klein stated, looking at the two girls with interest.

"Already leaving behind your interest in Lightning, I see?" Agil questioned him.

"No, no, no, no! I'm just only saying…"

Shirayuki was the first to enter and examine the store, looking amazed at it. "So is this suppose to be where I'm working at?" She asked, looking back at Penelo.

"According to Light, yes." Penelo answered.

"Not bad. It's even a bar, too." Obi noted, seeing the look of the place, along with noticing Agil at the bar stand.

"Obi, you shouldn't drink, especially since we haven't been assigned our duties, yet." The taller man pointed out.

Basch approached the guard and Penelo who escorted the new faces as he assumed, "I take it these people are new to our world?"

"Correct! They are more lost lights that we discovered." The guard answered in a salute.

"Lost lights?" Klein echoed, confused.

"That's the term we give for those who ended up losing their worlds, and end up here instead." One of the soldiers that was aiding in the bar.

"Like everyone else, they were quite shocked when we discovered them." Penelo followed up, "Lightning, Ashe and everyone else explained what is going on, but they're still a bit perplexed at their situation."

"As any normal person should." Basch understood, approaching the group, "I take it you still find it hard to believe that you are in such a situation, yes?"

"We were already told about how we ended up here." The younger man responded, folding his arms across his chest, "And based on all the things we've seen in this place, it further backs up the truth of the matter. But I still can't wrap my head around it. I mean, other worlds outside of our comprehension?" He was messing up his hair while trying to comprehend all this.

"It is rather perplexing." The young lady muttered.

"In any case, we learned about who they are." Penelo continued, looking to the young man, "As it turns out, this young man is a prince of a kingdom. The two close to him are his royal aids. The young lady over there is a court herbalist, and that other guy is a royal messenger, as well as a guard to the girl."

"So you are a prince." Basch understood, approaching the young man, looking down at him. "Forgive me for not recognizing your status. I am Basch fon Ronsenburg, captain of Lady Ashe's knights."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm not a prince in this world, so there's no need for formalities." He responded, "Just call me Zen. Zen Wisteria. My aides are Mitsuhide and Kiki. That girl over there is Shirayuki, and with her, my messenger, Obi."

"So what brings you to my bar?" Agil asked, stepping out of the bar stand to approach the group, "Based on what I heard, you're gonna be working here?"

"Yes. Or at least, I am suppose to work here." Shirayuki answered.

"So…what, you're gonna be one of the barmaids here?" Klein asked.

"Not at all!" She retorted in a slightly offended tone.

"After discussing it with everyone, we understood that this place is a bit too large to just be a bar for you, Agil." Penelo started, "So we decided to make it an apothecary, as well. And since she is an herbalist, she could make concoctions that'll be useful for our fights and illnesses."

"So, wait. This place will be a bar AND an apothecary?" Agil asked.

"That's a bit of an odd combination…" Klein pointed out.

"True, but all other building big enough for her business are taken already." Penelo explained, "I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience."

"There's no need for an apology." Agil answered, looking down at Shirayuki, "I'm more concerned if she will do okay setting up her shop in a bar."

"It's fine. When I was young, my grandparents owned a bar." She explained, "I'm pretty use to that kind of business, so I'm fine."

"Well, if you're okay with it." Agil understood, "I'm Agil, by the way."

"And I'm Klein! Nice to meet you." The said swordsman added.

"Nice to meet the both of you." Shirayuki told the pair, shaking hands with them.

Basch looked to the three to the rest of the new characters as he asked, "And what assignments were the rest of you given?"

"I'm having Obi protect Shirayuki as she starts up her business." Zen explained, "I can't be too careful. As for me though…" his voice trailed off, slightly irritated at what he was given.

"Since Zen is a prince, I insisted that he and Lady Ashe might come together and assist in co-ruling this kingdom." Mitsuhide explained.

"Honestly, I was kinda hoping that since I'm not a prince here, I could take on another job or something…" Zen grimaced, "But now thanks to the two of you, I have no choice but to agree to the summons."

"But it was Lady Ashe who wished to speak with you after learning of your title." Kiki noted.

"She was interested in hearing about how you ruled a peaceful kingdom, and wishes to trade information in order to properly sustain this new kingdom." Mitsuhide noted, "It wouldn't hurt to at least meet her."

"I bet what the Master is really irritated about is not being able to spend much time with Shirayuki." Obi assumed with a smirk.

Zen gave a shrewd glare at Obi, but sighed as he responded, "Well, I guess that's one reason."

"Don't worry about it, Zen." The said red-head assured him, "I'll probably be a little busy with setting up shop around here and understanding the medicinal herbs they have me work with before I could spend some free time. If this world needs people who are good at healing, I might as well do my part."

Zen looked to her surprised at how ready she was to get started with the business, then smiled as he stated, "Whether you're in this world or in ours, you never change. Well, I guess I have no choice but to do what I can to make this place stable for you to work in." Shirayuki gave an innocent chuckle in response to this, while Mitsuhide and Kiki smirked at how she influenced the prince.

Klein nudged himself close to Obi as he asked in a bit of a whisper, "So is it just me, or are those two a thing?"

"Oh, without a doubt." Obi answered, "The Master takes great priority in Shirayuki when he can."

"Well, I'm pretty sure we can make this place thriving with both of our businesses here." Agil told Shirayuki, "I'll even help you out if you need it."

"Thanks! I hope to do the same for you." Shirayuki answered.

* * *

 **Record Sphere #3: Silica's Ghastly Ghosts**

 **Location:** Dr. E. Gadd's lab.

Outside the odd-looking house, Silica and Pina had just entered through the narrow path towards, discovering the building they were sent to find. Silica looked scared and concerned at the sight of the house, her arms wrapped around a package that was suppose to be for the man inside. The package was a bit on the medium, a little larger than Pina.

"Errrrr… I know he's the one who brought made the machine that brought us here, but still…" she grimaced.

Pina chirped as she landed on her head. She looked up at her, smiling as she stated, "Still, it's thanks to him that I even have you here. It's fun having you with me outside the game." Pina chirped happily in agreement.

Silica shook her head, steeling her nerves as she declared, "Okay! I'm going in!" She wandered up the path past the gate, and reached the front door.

She reached out to the handle, about to open the door, when something phased right through the door, spooking Silica. She squealed, tossing the package high into the air, as she stumbled backwards, and fell onto her rear, with Pina flying off of her. The being that spooked her, one of the green ghosts, watched her fall, cackling at the sight of her. It then flew out of the door, grabbing the handle, swinging the door open for Silica, before diving back into the house.

Silica was paralyzed on the cobblestone path to the house, shocked to see what scared her. Pina flew to catch the package before it hit the ground, and was carrying it in her claws, looking concerned for her owner. Finally, after a few seconds, E. Gadd ended up walking out of his house, his cheeky grin on his face.

"Goodness! My ghostly companions can be such pranksters." He stated, wandering up to Silica, "I hope you weren't too terrified by them. Though, by the looks of it, I'd say you took it just as bad as my ghost-snatching assistant."

"S-S-So…that was a real ghost?" Silica asked fearfully, trying to get back up, but having difficulty using her legs, since they shook so much from shock.

"Indeedy!" E. Gadd answered, as a pair of green ghosts appeared, flying out of the house, "They're actually assistants of mine, as well as beings I research. You see, my primary research is in poltergeists."

"O-oh…" Silica responded, looking at the ghosts behind the door, who were eyeballing her out of curiosity.

"Come on in! I've just brewed some tea." E. Gadd stated, ushering her into the house, "Please, come in! Come in!"

Silica looked scared at entering the haunted house. Pina, on the other hand, sniffed something, and flew right in, dropping the package as she flew over Silica, who caught it instead. "Pina, wait!" Silica cried out, afraid at first, but choosing to chase after her feathery dragon into the house.

When she entered in, she saw Pina flew to the right, entering into the small dining room of the house, which had a small circular table with a pot of tea, already brewed, a cup and saucer on the table right by it, as well as small bowls containing sugar cubes and milk. Pina had flown onto the table, particularly to a bowl of fruit that was there, and began munching on a large apple that was within the pile of fruit.

"No! Bad Pina!" Silica called to her partner, "You shouldn't eat other people's food without permission!"

E. Gadd, on the other hand, chortled as he assured her, "Not to worry! Your little friend must've been hungry, after all. There's no need to worry. Besides, it's usually for Yoshi when he comes around my house in my world. But never mind that. Sit down. My ghostly assistants will get you an extra cup for tea."

Silica sat down as one of the green ghosts flew away towards the kitchen, coming back with an extra cup and saucer. She placed the package down next to her as she tried to put on a brave face around the ghost, as well as the one that followed it, pouring tea into her cup.

"How would you like your tea?" E. Gadd asked her, dropping a little bit of milk into his cup.

"A couple sugar cubes, please." Silica answered, taking the sugar cube bowl, using the small tongs to drop sugar cubes into her tea. Pina flew off the table with the apple in her claws, landing on one of the cabinets, continuing to munch on the fruit. A pair of the ghosts floated towards Pina, very curiously, while the feathery dragon growled back at them, not wanting them coming near her fruit.

E. Gadd saw the worried expression on Silica's face as she witnessed the ghosts pestering her partner, and stated, "Do not worry. They are harmless, all things considered. They're simply curious about anything that is foreign to them. This entire environment has peaked their curiosity to great levels, and it is worth studying how they interact."

At this moment, one of the green ghosts was raising one of Pina's wings, looking at the underside of it. Pina looked uncomfortable at this, especially when the other ghost decided to pluck a feather off, then used it to tickle the first ghost. Pina got angry at the two, and unleashed streams of stunning bubbles at the ghosts, who thought they wouldn't get hit by them, only for one of them to get struck by a few, and become stunned on the floor, startling his companion.

"Pina!" "Zounds!" Silica and E. Gadd exclaimed, standing up at the results of what Pina did. The other green ghost looked to his stunned friend on the floor, then got angry at Pina, who flew off the cabinet, shrieking at it.

"That's enough, Pina!" Silica cried out, racing to her dragon companion, and grabbing her out of the air, not wanting any further damage.

"No, Greenie! There is no need to get violent!" E. Gadd pleaded to his assistant. However, the green ghost charged at Pina and Silica. The dragon squirmed out out of Silica's arms, flying behind her. The green ghost pursued Pina by going right through Silica's chest, causing her to yelp, blush, and cripple to the floor, clinging onto her chest.

"Fascinating…" E. Gadd stated, calming down despite the chase happening in his house, kneeling down to the paralyzed green ghost, "Those bubbles have a paralysis effect that seems to even effect ghosts. Is this due to to the dragon not being of this world, or is there something more to this? Either way, it is far more effective at stunning ghosts than the strobulb. He should still recover quite quickly from this adverse effect."

True to his analysis, the stunned ghost blinked, then flew off the ground, spinning about to loosen its' transparent body. It examined itself, before sighing in relief from having no damage taken.

"Sir, we should really stop that other ghost from chasing Pina!" Silica pleaded to the professor. She turned to see Pina and the green ghost flying back towards her. Pina tried to pull a trick off by, instead of flying over Silica, flew right between her legs. Silica watched her partner dive underneath her, then saw the ghost come at her, or more specifically, her waist. Fearing the worst, she shouted, "STOOOOOP!" The cry was enough to stun the chasing ghost in its' tracks, and scaring everyone else behind her.

Silica placed her hands down, covering her shorts as she blushed horribly. "Please, don't go through me again. I'll never get married if you go through there…" The ghost looked confused at this, wondering what the problem was. E. Gadd only chortled, wise enough to understand why she wanted the ghost to stop.

A short moment later, the recovered ghost came to his companion, assuring him he was okay, while . "I apologize for Pina attacking you guys." Silica apologized.

"Do not be the one to apologize. After all, my ghostly companions were the ones who started it." E. Gadd assured her, looking to the two ghosts, "I must say, keeping these ones under control is very difficult in this world. After all, there are so many new people, powers and things that even I am curious about."

"I…kinda understand the feeling." Silica understood, looking from Pina, who was on the cabinet again, to the ghosts, "This place is much different from the gaming worlds my friends and I are use to. There are so many kinds of people gathered here in one place, not to mention that it is all real, makes it so much more crazier for me and my friends. To get use to such a place is very hard, and I have made a couple mistakes that I had to apologize for."

"I, on the other hand, have to apologize profusely for my rather 'free-spirited' ghosts." E. Gadd chortled at this, with Silica realizing he was making a pun from calling his ghosts 'free-spirited', "Lightning has made it rather clear that I need to keep these poltergeists on a tight leash. That is why I ordered this handy device." He wandered over to the table where he grabbed the package Silica ordered. "With this, I should be able to entrap my ghostly companions within the area around my house. That way, they won't cause more trouble than they already have."

"That's good." Silica sighed in relief, "I can't imagine how much more difficult they could be."

"Indeedy! We must all adapt to the new environment, and learn to make rules to get along with one another." E. Gadd stated, bringing the package to his lab, "I'm sure you and your cohorts are doing the same, yes?" Silica and Pina both nodded in agreement to this statement.

After all was said and done, E. Gadd and his ghostly companions waved Silica and Pina goodbye as they left, going down the alleyway. "We have to adapt to our new environment…" Silica repeated, looking to Pina, "I guess that is true. Even so, I am very glad for one thing…" She looked down at her shorts, and finished, "If I had worn my usual skirt instead of these shorts, and you pulled off flying underneath my legs like that, it would've revealed myself to E. Gadd, and I REALLY wouldn't get married if that happened!" She flushed in embarrassment at the thought of that actually coming true. She covered her face, wishing she hadn't seen that, and raced out of the alleyway, wanting to distract herself with the next task.

* * *

 **Record Sphere #4: Reunion of Old Partners**

 **Location:** Main Street

In an area along Main Street, Argo was just finishing up an info exchange to three certain individuals; Sinon, Serah, Lightning's sister, and Mog.

Serah was now wearing an attire that was called by the shop as 'Style and Steel'. She wore a black sleeveless, high-collared top that reached her waist, curving around to form small coattails in the back, and revealed a bit of her cleavage. It had silver trimmings, gold trimming around the top part, silver buttons, gold epaulettes, and gold leather waist guards. She denim short-shorts with a studded belt and leggings, high brown leather boots that had black armor pieces, the right boot having an additional armor piece that wrapped up around the leg like a thorny vine, and a maroon-red satchel strapped to her right thigh with belts of the same color. She wore denim fingerless gloves with gray bands and studs on the backhand. On her left hand, she had a dark sleeve going up to her upper arm. On her right hand, she had a shorter dark sleeve, and a small round shield that was blue with gold and red trimming. She still wore her special necklace around her necklace.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Argo told the trio, "I hope you got all the info you needed."

"Your info is as resourceful as usual, Argo." Sinon told the info breaker.

"I'm completely surprised you are able to adapt so easily to your new environment." Serah complimented Argo, "You don't seem to have that any issues."

"Well, I'm still trying to learn how to do this business smoother and easier for my clients." Argo admitted, "I hate to tell people this, but this job ain't easy. Still…" She pulled out a device, booted it up to reveal itself as the holo-pad, and scrolled lists of information she had added onto it, "Having this handy little device makes all the difference in the world. Just as easy to work with as a holo-menu."

"A what?" Serah questioned.

"Something of our world." Sinon answered simply, "In any case, thanks for letting us know about a good hunting spot for weak opponents."

"Now I'M the one that's surprised, kupo." Mog stated, looking to Serah, "I didn't think you would ask for practice using a bow, kupo."

"Well, I do try to practice whenever I can." Serah stated, "The problem is my sister. She doesn't want me to fight and become a fighter like her. But…with this whole new environment, and all the Heartless in the outskirts of the city, I would very much like to learn to at least defend myself."

"And you picked Sinon, why?" Argo asked, "I mean, she is very skilled as a marksman, no doubt. I got info on her maximum distance and accuracy, so I know."

"I just heard such good things from her friends, plus the fact she can use a bow like I can with Mog, I just had to ask her."

"I don't know if I'm the BEST here, but I am more than willing to try and help." Sinon stated, looking to Serah, "I hope you can bear with me."

"I'll try not to embarrass you, Sinon." Serah responded, bowing to her, "Let's get started." Sinon nodded in agreement, before wandering off with Serah and Mog at her side, going to the spot Argo suggested.

Argo pulled out the munny she got from the exchange of info. "Pleasure doin' business. Now if I can just find a way to store my coinage better… I forget how useful that function is in the game."

She pocketed the munny, then looked about the place. To her, this place and feeling was completely brand new to her. The others were fully aware of things like magic and powers that Kirito, Asuna, Yui and the others use, not to mention monsters like the beings called Heartless, were all real things. But she was the only one among the group of ALO Players who had no idea something like this was real. She had to process all of this in a much shorter amount of time than the others did.

She looked through her holo-pad, deciding to start sorting out the info she gathered so far, though it was also information for herself, just as a refresher for all the essentials she needed to know. She ended up deciding to go on a little stroll as she did her sorting.

After a few minutes, as she was finishing up her organization, her ear was catching some voices approaching her. "This world's definitely changed beyond that of what it once was before." A soft-spoken female voice stated.

"True. Though the last time we were here, it was consumed in the sand." Another female voice pointed out, "And considering the circumstances we had to deal with before, we couldn't explore the place thoroughly."

"Yeah. Who knows what treasures we ended up missing while we were here before." A third, and vaguely familiar female voice to Argo stated, "We have to look about and get some intel on any hidden treasures."

 _'_ _Someone's singin' my tune.'_ Argo stated, looking over her holo-pad to see the potential clients for her business. She took a good look at the three girls ahead of her, and stopped in shock. One of them was very familiar to her. The central girl among the trio, known as the Heart Sisters, felt the gaze, and looked back. She, too, stopped in her tracks. Why? Because Argo and Philia both recognized one another.

There was a moment's pause between the two, before Argo spoke up first. "Hold on…Phi-chan, is that you?" She asked.

"A-Argo?" Philia responded, "Wait…you're here?"

"Philia, is this someone you know?" Hinata asked, looking between the two.

"It really is you!" Argo exclaimed, "Well, I'll be darn! You ended up joinin' along with the rest of Kirito's entourage!"

"Hold on, what're you talking about?" Philia asked, confused, "Did you come here in a Gummi Ship or some other kind of aircraft?"

"Uh, no?" Argo answered, perplexed, "You mean you didn't end up coming here from ALO?"

"ALO? What's that?" Philia asked.

"Hey, what the hell is goin' on here?!" Samson demanded, spreading his tentacles up in aggravation, startling the girls.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Argo demanded, pointing at the parasite.

"Guys, let's calm down." Hinata called out to everyone, "Maybe we should start with introductions before everyone loses it."

The other girls looked to one another before Philia responded, "You're right. Sorry about that. She's just…someone from my past. Someone I do remember."

"She's from your past?" Flair asked.

"Yeah. This is Argo. She was an info broker I went to way back when. I ended up doing a lot of dungeon crawling and treasure hunting thanks to the info she gave me. We ended up becoming good friends because of that."

Flair, Samson and Hinata looked to Argo, who put her hands on her hips, feeling proud of the introduction she was given. "Nice to see you haven't forgotten your best informant in SAO."

"Well, it is one of the few things I do remember." Philia responded, causing Argo to look confused, "You see…"

She explained a bit of what she had told Kirito and Asuna before, about how she ended up meeting a man named DiZ, and how she nearly escaped being turned into a member of the Organization by being sent into a digital wormhole to Traverse Town, with her memories fragmented as a result of the hastened rescue.

"I see…" Argo understood, deciding midway through the explanation to type in all the info she had about Philia so far, including what she knew about her before the start of her story, "So you pretty much lost all your memories, and since the day SAO ended, you ended up going on a crazy adventure trying to find your memories again, as well as find your way back home?"

"That, amongst other things." Philia answered, "I've been currently working for a woman by the name of Mistress Gretinal to stop a group of villains, including monsters called Heartless. And I've been also doing a bit of treasure-hunting on the side, with my friends, Flair, Samson, Hinata, and Tink." The said pixie had flown out of her pocket during Philia's story, and was sitting on her shoulder.

"That's a pretty crazy story." Argo stated, "But I can believe it, after all the things that have happened to my cohorts. After all, it was Greti-nyal who ended up bringing us to this world to help it out."

"Really? Gretinal sent you guys here?!" Philia asked.

"Why would she do that?" Tinker Bell asked her best friend.

"I dunno. Frankly, I tend to get confused on why she does these things. Still after all the help she has done for me, I can't complain."

"I'm currently making a list of things she has done, and trying to hypothesize the end goal she want from all of this." Argo stated, flicking through her holo-pad to look at the folder containing the said information.

"So you're doing info broking here in this world, too?" Philia asked, "Do you have a lot of info about this world?"

"This world, worlds that folks of this world are from, the folks in this world. You name it, I have been makin' it." Argo stated, winking at her client.

"In that case, maybe you can help us with something." Philia stated, "We're looking for some places to get treasure. Maybe places that people haven't reached or are unable to access. Think you have something for me, for old time's sake?"

"Hmm…" Argo flipped through all the info she had, and found something, "Well, I do have this one bit of information I got just yesterday. A couple of sky pirates named Fran and Balthier spoke about these ruins with a sealed entrance. I bet my info on how I got my whiskers that there is some rare goods down there."

"Now THAT sounds like something worth the trip to this world!" Samson stated.

"I'll take that info." Philia told Argo, "So, how much will it be?"

"This info isn't worth payment for, since no one knows what's beyond the door into the ruins." Argo stated, "I know you're good, but I doubt even you can unlock that door."

Philia chuckled at this, before producing her Lockbreaker Key-dagger, holding it in front of her face. "Well, thanks to this weapon, there's no door I can't unlock." She told her, "Just leave it to the Heart Sisters! We'll get that info you need, and get a treasure in the ruins."

Argo snickered at this declaration, and answered, "I almost forgotten how fun it was workin' with you, Phi-chan."

"Same here. I almost forgotten how rewarding these hunts I get from you are." Philia replied. The two old friend bumped fists with one another, chuckling at their reforged partnership.

"I feel my friendship with Philia is being rivaled right now…" Tink muttered, glaring at Argo.

"Those two look as thick as thieves." Hinata noted.

"There's no doubt those two are old friends." Flair stated, "I just hope that this info will lead to something good…"


	10. Melromarc! Hunting the Shield Demon!

**Hi there, folks! Hope you are staying happy and healthy, despite the situations! Don't let the darkness consume you, and know that we are all banded together in this dark time. I'll be here to make sure you have something awesome to read, so enjoy!**

 **Also, I have new pictures for SAKIII placed on my DeviantArts page. Go check them out!**

* * *

 **Gummi Ship Swiftwing**

As the ship of Team Keybladers flew through deep space, they encountered asteroids and enemy encounters that were in their path. They did get some rewards out of destroying both villains and blowing up small asteroids and some crystals, even gaining materials and Gummi blocks for later. They even found something called a Treasure Sphere, which they had to create circuits by shooting gears into place that led to unlocking them, giving them more stuff to collect. They brought the materials and blocks into their storage space on their ship using a tractor beam system that was installed into the ship.

"There is so much more to do and gather now than ever before in space!" Sora stated, examining the few Flourite and Mythril shards they got from all they did so far, making their way to the nearest world.

"The rules of world travel have changed quite a bit compared to our previous times." Goofy noted.

"As fun as it is, need I remind you that we still need to actually go save worlds, right?" Asuna reminded the two, as well as Donald, who was the one piloting the ship.

"We know, we know." The three boys answered simultaneously.

"We're almost to the next world, already." Donald pointed out, seeing the world from where they were.

Just then, the door to the Switch Chamber opened up, revealing Kirito and Yui as they came out of the training room setup. Yui looked a little worn out from whatever happened in there, while Kirito looked a little anxious.

"You doing okay, Yui?" Asuna asked, "Was your father giving you a hard time?"

"I wasn't giving her a hard time!" Kirito defended, "Yui wanted me to train her with using a sword, so I did."

"It's true. Papa was helping me." Yui agreed, but added, "Although, he did see a lot of flaws in my swordplay…"

"So he was being very hypercritical of you, then." Asuna understood, glaring at Kirito, "Would it kill you to be a little nicer of a teacher, Kirito?"

"I don't know how I was doing anything wrong." The black swordsman stated, "I was noticing how her form was off several times, and her reaction and combo swings were not fluid enough. I wasn't trying to be mean to her."

"Even so, compliment her from time to time!" Asuna argued, standing up while holding Yui, "She's not as skilled as you and I, so I would very much appreciate it if you treat her like she's a newcomer to a game, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am…" Kirito sheepishly answered, rubbing the back of his head as he bowed down in defeat.

"Don't worry, Yui. I'll train with you next time, okay?" The mother assured the daughter.

"Thanks! I'll get use to using my Keyblade." Yui assured them, then to Sora, she added, "And I would very much like it if Sora also taught me, too!"

"R-Really?" Sora asked, surprised, but smiled eagerly as he answered, "Okay, sure. I kinda self-taught myself a long while back, so I wouldn't mind teaching you some tricks I came up with." Yui looked happily at this.

"Why can't we train Yui, too?!" Donald squawked, indicating himself and Goofy.

"Because we don't use swords like they do." Goofy answered, chuckling at this.

"Yeah, speaking of which, I have been wanting to ask something, Goofy." Kirito started, "Is there a reason why you prefer using a shield instead of a sword? It is kind of unusual to fight with just a shield."

"Oh, I just don't like to use all them other weapons, that's all." Goofy answered, producing his shield, "If ya ask me, I prefer not to fight if possible."

"That's odd, considering your position." Asuna stated.

Sora did recall something that happened a long while back. During his Mark of Mastery exam, one of the worlds he ended up in had King Mickey, Donald and Goofy all as musketeers, and they all used fencing rapiers. So to say he didn't like using those weapons was a bit strange.

"I mean, we've fought together for me to get use to your fighting style of combat." Yui stated, looking to Kirito, "There's no problem with it, right, papa?"

"Of course not!" Kirito answered quickly, not wanting to be ridiculed again, "I guess everyone has their own special weapon to use. I bet we'll be facing a lot of those kinds of fighters in the future, right?" The others nodded in agreement to this, glad to see he didn't criticize anything.

* * *

 **(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)**

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

The signal within the Swiftwing indicated they had finally reached the next world. From their viewpoint, they could see a kingdom on one part of the world, a large forest that divided the top and bottom part of the world, with some sort of canyon in one part, and a large town by a lake on the bottom part of the world.

"So this is the next world." Sora understood, as Yui booted up the communication crystal. In a second, Mistress Gretinal appeared as a hologram from it.

"I see you've reached the next world, the Kingdom of Melromarc." Gretinal noticed, seeing which world they arrived at.

"Melromarc?" Kirito echoed, looking to the world.

"This world has a bit of a history you should know about." Gretinal explained, "You see, this world is plagued by monsters summoned from Waves of Catastrophe. To fight this, four people from other worlds appear to take up the mantle as legendary heroes, utilizing unique weapons for each of them to use. They are the Sword Hero, the Spear Hero, the Bow Hero, and the Shield Hero."

"Another feller who also uses a shield, too?" Goofy asked.

"Probably a lot different kind of fighter than you, Goofy." Kirito pointed out.

"However, darkness plagues this world, and not just from monsters, but within the hearts of very many." Gretinal warned them, "And right now, the Heartless are causing great trouble, and causing distrust in many."

"Then it's up to us to stop them!" Sora declared, rising up and pumping his fist.

"See that you do." Gretinal answered, her expression serious, "But do not be fooled so easily. This world will test on your trust in others, and how you sense the darkness in others."

"Right. We understand." Asuna understood, "Let's be on guard when we arrive there." Everyone gave reassurance at this, as they entered into the teleportation device, and descended down to the world.

When they arrived, they found themselves in a sort of medieval-era town, the buildings definitely looking like European-style of that era. They were in an alleyway, and stepped out into the cobblestone streets, where they saw some stalls selling miscellaneous foods and accessories.

"This kind of reminds me of towns in Aincrad." Kirito stated, looking about.

"It does look that way, doesn't it?" Asuna agreed, "Look, there's even a castle over there, and a church, as well." From high above, they could see a large white castle with mahogany red roofing. In another area, they could see a massive church-like structure, which had a silver cross on top of it, which looked kind of odd. However, they assumed it was just due to it being another world.

"It's pretty nice, here." Goofy noted, seeing the stalls about town.

"The church kind of gives me flashbacks to my Mark of Mastery exam." Sora recalled, "There was a world that had a cathedral, too. What was it called again…Notre Dame?"

"You visited the Notre Dame Cathedral during your Mark of Mastery?!" Asuna gasped in shock, "That's a place I wished to go to when I was a child. I was so shocked at when it burned that one year when I was twelve…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion nearby, with the sounds of a group of people combatting. "There's trouble!" Donald realized.

"Let's go see what it is." Sora told the team, and they raced over to the source of the fighting.

"When they arrived, they saw a soldier suddenly collapse, his body fading into darkness, and his heart transforming into a Soldier Heartless. They looked at the remaining survivors of the fight against the Heartless, and saw four individuals surrounded, three young men, and one woman.

The first male looked like he was in his mid-teens, with a handsome face, blue eyes, and mid-length black hair with bangs that were at chin-level. He wore a coat that looked similar to the one Kirito wore back in SAO, but it was black, white, with gold-trimmings, a black chestplate, a spiked shoulder guard on his right shoulder, blue pants with black armor on his lower legs, blue boots with gold-colored soles, a blue scarf around his neck and went down his back, and a sword in one hand that matched the color of his attire.

The second was also around the same age as the sword-user, though he looked younger. He had gold eyes and short, curly light-brown hair. His attire was more of a tunic, lighter than the swordsman, brown and white leather, with a a green open vest and classic grey armor protecting his left shoulder, side, and waste. He had white pants, and brown boots with armored toes, and fingerless gloves with armor on the backhand side, going up his lower arms. He also carried a bow in his hand, which he held at the ready.

The third was the oldest of the group, in his early twenties. He had orange eyes and long blonde hair that he held in a ponytail. He wore a red and white tunic with gold trimmings, and silver and gold-trimmed armor that made him more of a traditional knight compared to the the other two. He also are a red cape that went all the way down his back. As for his weapon, he carried a spear in both hands.

The person wielding the spear was very protective of the woman, who was around the same age as the others. She had green eyes, semi-long red hair, held in a loose ponytail that was held by a gold and jeweled hairband. She wore silver armor with red jewels embedded into them, with a chestplate that hugged her figure, a purple top underneath, a frilly black skirt, black leggings underneath her armor boots, detached black sleeves underneath armor for her arms, and a cape that went down her back, with a decorative choker around her neck.

The Heartless surrounding them were Soldiers, Armored Knight, and Bizarre Archers on top of some crates nearby.

"These monsters just won't stay down." The archer spoke up.

"We're using all the attacks we can, but they don't seem to do anything to them." The swordsman stated.

"Sir Motoyasu, please tell me you can defeat them!" The woman pleaded to the spear user.

"Of course, Myne! We can defeat the devil's spawns!" He assured her, striking back an Armored Knight, making it skid away, only for two others to appear in its' place to overwhelm him. His confidence faltered at the failed attack.

"They're in trouble!" Donald noticed, "Let's help them out!"

"Agreed. No more Heartless taking any more lives!" Asuna responded, and the three leading heroes produced their Keyblades, with Kirito deciding to use his new Dark Repulser Keyblade he got from the last world to help him here. Like moths to flames, the Heartless sensed the Keyblades, and turned to face the six new opponents, prepared to fight them.

Fighting the group of Heartless was rather simple for the group, overwhelming them with their skills and magic. Kirito did learn his Keyblade had a combo boost to it, giving him improved combo in attacking. As for his Shotlock, he learned that at its' maximum potential, he was able to split the Keyblade into light-form versions of Dark Repulser and Elucidator for a moment and perform Starburst Stream, though it the attack sent waves of energy with every slash at the targets he locked onto, ending with a cross slash that had him shoot through all enemies, defeating the Heartless easily. In moments, the Heartless were defeated soundly.

As soon as it was over, the six were close to one another as the four they just rescued wandered over, the one carrying the spear rushing a bit towards Yui. "I'm so sorry, little girl!" He apologized, cradling his staff under his arm as he knelt down to place one of Yui's 'delicate' hands into his own, "To think you ended up fighting those ferocious monsters instead of me brings me terrible grief. You needn't to fight those again."

"B-But I don't mind!" Yui defended, perplexed at the demeanor of this guy.

He ignored this as he glared at Kirito and Sora, demanding, "You! Why are making this girl fight those monsters?! She's obviously too young to be on the battlefield like this!"

"We aren't making her do that!" Sora defended.

"Besides, she was doing a heck of a lot more than you were." Kirito bluntly stated.

"Who do you think you are?!" The young lady demanded angrily, "Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?! This is Sir Motoyasu, the Spear Hero!"

"So you're one of the heroes here?" Sora asked. The young man named Motoyasu looked rather pompous at his title as the Spear Hero.

Kirito didn't see any reason to praise his name as he responded, "Well I'm Kirito. This is Sora, Asuna, Donald, Goofy, and Yui."

"Yui. So that's your name." Motoyasu realized, looking down at the little girl, and walking towards her excitably, "Gosh, you are such a cute little girl."

 _'_ _I get it. He's a lolicon…'_ Kirito understood, as Asuna stepped in between Yui and the Spear Hero.

"Back off, creep!" She growled, "That's my daughter you're swooning over!"

"D-Daughter?!" Motoyasu echoed in shock, looking from Asuna to Yui, questioning how she could have a daughter. Donald approached to Asuna's side, glaring at him as if to dare pursue Yui or the questions that were on his mind.

"I hate to admit it, but we would've been done for if you hadn't arrived." The bow user stated, approaching Kirito and Sora with the swordsman, as Goofy joined the boys, "My name is Itsuki. I'm the Bow Hero."

"I'm Ren, the Sword Hero." The swordsman introduced himself, "Tell me how you were able to fight off those monsters so much better than us? You guys do know, don't you?"

"Those monsters are called 'Heartless'." Goofy explained, "The only way to defeat them is with the power of the Keyblade."

"Keyblade?" Ren echoed, looking at Kirito's weapon for a few seconds, then asking, "May I examine that weapon of yours?"

"Sure." Kirito answered, knowing he could take it back if he stole his Keyblade from him.

Ren took the weapon off of Kirito, holding it up, then looking to his sword. After a few seconds, he stated, "That's strange…I can't copy the sword like I can with others."

"The Keyblade is a very special kind of weapon." Kirito answered, taking the weapon out of Ren's hand, "And not everyone can wield it. Only a very rare few can use it."

"But with the power of our Legendary weapons, we can copy any weapon as long as it's the same kind of weapon as our own." Ren pointed out.

"Just who are you guys?" Itsuki asked.

"Well…" Sora started, about to make something up.

"We're travelers from a different continent." Asuna started up, making the story instead, "We've come to this land due to the Heartless appearing around here, and are trying to stop them. Do you have any clues as to when they started coming around?"

"They've been plaguing my father's kingdom just recently." The woman spoke up, approaching Asuna, "They've been appearing everywhere, and have been attacking our soldiers left and right."

"Your father's kingdom?" Yui echoed.

"That's right!" Motoyasu replied eagerly, "Her adventurer's name is Myne, but she is really the princess of Melromarc."

"My name is Malty S. Melromarc." She introduced herself, making her hair flutter with a brush of her hand, "My father is the king of Melromarc, so you should show respect."

"S-Sorry!" Sora apologized, standing in salute, along with Goofy. Kirito saw the two boys, and decided to do it, as well, though mentally not showing any respect for the woman. In fact, he could feel something about this woman that he really did not like.

"So, why don't we get back to what you were saying before." Asuna spoke up, keeping Yui away from Motoyasu as she and Donald joined their friends, "You said the Heartless have been attacking the soldiers of your kingdom recently, right? Any idea of where it started?"

"Absolutely. It's all that damn Naofumi's fault!" Motoyasu growled, "He's the one setting those monsters loose!"

"Naofumi?" Donald echoed.

"He's the Shield Demon who has stolen my little sister!" Myne explained, her expression going from serious, then to sympathetic as she stated, "He had brought nothing but bring constant trouble to my father and I, showing no respect to the hierarchy. He even sexually assaulted me when he first came to this world! It was so mortifying what he did to me, it haunts me!" She shed tears at this, while Motoyasu comforted her.

"That's awful…" Asuna sympathized for Myne's abuse, as did Donald, Goofy, Sora and Yui. Kirito, on the other hand, eyed her suspiciously. The way she was crying was more dramatic than actually real. Those were crocodile tears she was shedding.

Deciding to continue off from where Asuna left off, Kirito turned to Ren and Itsuki and asked, "So you're sure that it was this Naofumi that was controlling the Heartless?"

"Without a doubt." Ren answered.

"There was someone who even came to our kingdom who told us he was the one." Itsuki explained, "He said his rage against the kingdom was the reason why the monster you call the Heartless were attacking us."

"We were setting out to hunt him down before those things showed up." Motoyasu finished up.

"Then…let us join with you." Sora suggested, "If this guy is responsible for the Heartless, then it's our responsibility to stop him."

"We would very much appreciate it." Itsuki responded.

"Oh, come on! We can take this!" Motoyasu argued, "Those guys got lucky with that batch, but we can beat them next time! Besides, I certainly do not want this little girl to fight again!" He was indicating Yui at this last sentence.

"Excuse me, but it's not your call on whether she chooses to fight or not!" Asuna retorted angrily, "It's up to her parents to allow this, meaning Kirito and me!"

Motoyasu looked from Asuna to Kirito, then to Yui, and asked, "How do the two of you have a child? Just how old are you?"

"She's our ADOPTED daughter!" Asuna got in his face angrily, "And you NEVER ask a girl her age so carelessly!" She looked to Myne, and asked, "How can you even like this guy? Seriously?!" She walked away angrily, making sure she kept Yui away from Motoyasu.

"Wait, I'm sorry, miss!" Motoyasu called to her, about to chase after her, but was stopped by Myne clinging onto his arm.

"Don't bother with her." She told the Spear Hero, glaring at the two girls, "They don't look like they'll be worth your time." She narrowed her eyes as she glared at them, then at the boys. Sora, Donald and Goofy felt like they were in a bit of a tight situation, while Kirito looked back at her for a second, then chose to follow Asuna and Yui.

* * *

Moments later, the group of heroes were at the gates leaving outside the town, where a pair of horse-drawn carts waited for them, as well as soldiers who guided them and fought with them. Ren and Itsuki explained the situation to them, and that the six would join in the hunt for the Shield Demon.

"The six of you will be in the second wagon, along with the Sword Hero and the Bow Hero, under Princess Malty's orders." One of the soldiers explained, "Since the six of you are not registered civilians of Melromarc, we are to take precautionary actions until we know we can trust you."

"Fine by me." Kirito understood, looking to Ren and Itsuki, who were nearby, "We'll handle any Heartless that get in your way, okay?"

"We'll fight with you guys, if that's okay with you." Ren responded, "We want to see just how you guys are able to fight the Heartless."

"Then, we can fight them, even without your help." Itsuki followed, "We don't want to completely rely on you guys. After all, we were summoned to this world to protect it."

"Sure. We understand." Goofy responded.

"Protecting the world is your duty. And stopping the Heartless is ours." Sora stated.

Everyone got into the carts, and they rode along the road as quickly as possible. Goofy even joined the soldiers, trying to be the pleasant guy he was, though it was a bit of a failed attempt.

According to the information they were given by the soldiers and Heroes, the Shield Demon Naofumi, along with two slaves of his named Raphtalia and Filo, had kidnapped the second princess of Melromarc, Melty. According to resources, they knew they were trying to flee the country, and make it to another country called Siltbelt. They closed all the gateways towards the land, and were pretty sure that they wouldn't take the main road. So once they reach the mountains near the border, they would make it on foot to catch up with them.

"So…is Naofumi the Shield Hero?" Sora asked.

"Technically, he was." Ren responded.

"Was he really that bad of a guy?" Yui questioned them.

"He constantly took the glory for saving others we already saved." Itsuki explained, "And he created some sort of cheat shield, because he is way too powerful for a guy who only uses a shield."

"Maybe he trained differently compared to you guys." Kirito assumed, "Everyone has their own way of getting experience and skills. He probably found a way to get stronger better than you guys."

"Yeah, but how?" Itsuki demanded, "He never gave us a straight answer. He really hated all of us."

"But why?" Sora asked.

"Because he said he was falsely accused by the king, and was always cleaning up our messes." Ren answered, causing Itsuki to look to him incredulously, "I'll admit that I did screw up badly, as did Itsuki and Motoyasu one point or another in the past, but it still doesn't excuse him for what he has done before."

Sora, Donald and Yui looked to each other, concerned. Meanwhile, Kirito and Asuna listened to the conversation silently, Kirito specifically looking for details.

"Talk to me." Asuna whispered in Kirito's ear, "You know there's something wrong about this."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." He answered in a quiet tone, "For one, I definitely felt darkness within that princess's heart."

"I kinda had that same feeling as well." Asuna admitted, "I just feel like she's a sick person who is using her position and looks to get what she wants."

"She certainly pulled the wool over Motoyasu's eye. And even these two guys." Kirito noticed, "While I want to believe Itsuki and Ren, since they seem more open to debating than that other hero, we should still be on guard. Remember Gretinal's message; This world is to train our trust and sense the darkness. Right now, I don't know who is in the right or wrong here. What we do know is that the guy they call the Shield Demon, Naofumi, is in the center of all of this conflict."

"Agreed. So let's seek him out and see if he really is the one controlling the Heartless." Asuna decided, giving a serious expression.

Suddenly, the horses whinnied, and the carriage came to a jagged halt. "What's going on?!" Itsuki questioned the rider.

"It's those monsters again! They've just suddenly appeared!" He answered.

"It's the Heartless!" Goofy called to the others.

"That's our cue!" Sora answered, as the team got out of the carriage, readying their weapons to fight. Goofy, Motoyasu, and Myne were already out of the cart, ready to fight the group of Heartless, which were more Soldiers, Bizarre Archers, and a new kind of Heartless which looked like muddy brown, pudgy, flightless giant birds with stubby necks, wings that looked like three-pronged blades, and powerful looking legs.

"What's with the birds?!" Kirito questioned, looking to Yui, who activated the scanner over her eye.

Examining it, she answered, "They're called 'Choke o' Break'. They may not fly, but they have sharp wings, strong feet, and a deceptively long reach!"

"Looks more like a possessed Filolial." Motoyasu stated, "I swear, if Naofumi does anything like this to Filo, he's gonna suffer for it!"

"Let's focus on the fight at hand." Kirito told him, and they went to work.

Fighting alongside the heroes of this world, the other six could see their potential in a fight. They had some skills that did some damage to the enemies, probably more effectively due to the power of the Keyblade. They were all skilled in fighting with their weapons, from Motoyasu and his spear, Ren and his sword, and Itsuki with his bow. As for Myne, she had skills in magic, mainly fire magic. The only downside they had was their inability to work as a team, with the six other heroes, or each other.

As for the new Heartless, the Choke o' Break, they were definitely good with kicks and spinning their bodies with their blade wings out. However, their most deceptive move was shrining their legs, and causing their necks to shoot their beaks out much further than predicted, like a lance. This fooled the heroes a couple times, but they ended up getting the hang of it.

"Best to get this taken care of fast!" Kirito growled, " **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " Kirito raised his Keyblade upwards, and a silhouette of his old self appeared, before diving into his weapon, which shined and transformed into the Elucidator's classic form. He twirled it, and took his fighter's stance, making it shine before unleashing a Sonic Leap Sword Skill that made him shoot straight at the Soldier nearby, slashing it hard. He quickly continued his assault with his reaction speed, even destroying enemies Motoyasu and Ren were trying to take down, the latter thoroughly amazed by his ability with the blade. Kirito didn't even need to unleash his final attack before they were all gone.

Kirito reverted his weapon back to normal, as Ren approached him. "What kind of skill was that?" He demanded, "That skill…I've never seen anything like it."

"It's called Soul Burst." Kirito answered, "It's a power that is tied in with the Keyblade. Basically, I called forth my previous skills from a long time ago. They're skills I used before I gained the Keyblade."

"You know, I'm starting to think that weapon is a cheat like Naofumi's shield." Motoyasu compared, "How are so damn strong?"

"My Keyblade isn't a cheat." Kirito retorted seriously, "Your weapons are just as powerful as it. The only difference is that I learned and trained my butt off. I had to, with all the life-or-death battles I had to go through."

"Well, it's not like we've been through easy fights, either." Motoyasu stated, "We had to fight against the Waves of Catastrophe, and their requirement isn't level one fighters, either…"

 _'_ _Level one?'_ Kirito echoed as Motoyasu continued to speak about the dangers the heroes had to deal with, with unnecessary bravado and needless stories of lone villages and damsels in distresses that he claims to save, _'So there's a leveling system in this world, meaning they might be similar to Players in SAO. Wonder what their levels are?'_

He noticed a glint on the ground from the last Heartless he slain, and went to pick it up. It was a rosario of sorts, and it had the symbol that was on the church near where they were before.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at the rosario, then holding it to the two heroes.

"That's the symbol of the Three Heroes Church." Ren answered first.

"Three heroes?" Kirito echoed.

"Yeah. The people there worship us three heroes."

"Just the Spear, Sword, and Bow Heroes?" Kirito asked, "It doesn't care about the Shield Hero."

"The Shield is a demon!" Myne retorted, approaching the young man, "Anyone who even thinks of worshiping him is a sign of heresy, and will be judged thusly."

"I see…" Kirito responded, mixed with nerves and concern.

"That is why I wish for that Demi-human over there to not fight so much like him." Myne pointed to Goofy, who noticed the attention, and looked confused. "Using only a shield in battle is a sign of him trying to imitate the demon." She stated loudly for the others to hear, "Surely, he can use other weapons more suited for the dog he is?"

"But I prefer fightin' with a shield." Goofy pointed out, not really offended by anything she said.

"Yeah. In fact, one of my Keyblades can transform into a shield, too." Sora added, switching his Kingdom Key to the Hero's Origin, "It's pretty useful in a fight, too."

"Besides that, we're from a different country, so we have no reason to switch up our fighting styles just because you guys hate the Shield Demon." Asuna finished, "Don't judge how we fight just because it reminds you of someone you hate." Myne looked irritated at be talked back so much by these random warriors from another country.

"Let's deal with this after we find Naofumi." Itsuki told the others, "The more we stand here, the further he's gonna get. Unfortunately…" He looked to the carriages, which were now horseless, with only the soldiers remaining, "…It looks like we'll have to walk from here on. Siltbelt is to the east of here, so that's where we should start making our way that direction."

"That's a good start as any." Ren stated, looking towards the mountains near their position, "If we're right, they wouldn't take the obvious path. They might take to the mountains."

The three heroes and Myne led the other soldiers towards the mountains. Heartless did intervene as they climbed, but they worked together to handle them as best as they could. However, it seemed to the six heroes that those of this world were now sort of distancing themselves from their group, not even supporting them in the fights. Even when they were healed by Cure, only Ren was kind enough to give a thanks. Everyone else didn't care.

"I don't get it." Sora spoke up, putting his Keyblade away, "Why are they so distant to us all of a sudden?"

"Did we do something wrong?" Goofy asked.

"It's probably Kirito's fault." Donald assumed.

"Don't blame daddy for anything!" Yui argued.

"Motoyasu and Myne definitely seem to be more distant to us than the other two Heroes." Asuna noticed, looking to Kirito, "Do you think she's influencing them?"

"Well, I can tell she is quite manipulative. She is definitely someone we should watch out for." Kirito answered, "However, I'm pretty sure those other three guys are just jealous of us."

"They're…jealous?" Sora echoed.

"They're suppose to be heroes of this world, thinking deep in their hearts they are able to take on any foe and win because they were given powerful weapons and labeled as saviors. However, once we showed up, we seem to show them up in every which way."

"That is true." Asuna agreed, "They did call our Keyblades 'cheats'. They can't unleash magic as sufficiently as we do, or use the same kind of skills we can."

"There were a lot of Players like that in SAO, as well as other VRMMO games." Yui pointed out, "They see someone who was able to obtain something they can't get, and their jealous can lead to factions breaking apart or even PKing."

"But they don't have to be jealous of us." Sora stated, "That does nothing to forging bonds with each other's hearts. I don't deny that I haven't felt jealousy from time to time. I still remember how jealous I was during those early times of our first adventure together, and how you guys seemed to be REALLY skilled at using your Keyblades. Your swordplay was so amazing, I knew I couldn't keep up with you guys, even now."

"Sora…" Asuna muttered, feeling bad that he felt that way.

"But…I realize I have my own strengths that you guys can't do." Sora continued, smiling at all of them, "And if they aren't enough, I always have all my friends to back me up. So there's no reason for me to be jealous of you guys, because we each have something only each of us can do, but together, we can do anything!"

Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui all looked to Sora, then each other, and smiled happily. "I could only wish I had your optimism and faith, Sora." Kirito stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"He's always been like that." Donald pointed out.

"We're always smilin' together because of him." Goofy chuckled.

"You do tend to rally others to support you, even if you don't mean to." Asuna stated, looking to the others that were wandering on ahead, "I could only wish it worked for them."

"Hey, what're you guys doing?" Motoyasu called back to them.

"Oh, sorry!" Sora apologized, before looking to the others and saying, "Let's try winning them over. I know those three guys aren't completely bad." He raced up the mountain hill after the others, with Donald, Goofy and Yui behind him.

"It's not them I'm really worried about." Asuna stated, looking to Myne, who gave a sneaky glare at the two of them, "I'm more worried about what she might say next." Kirito nodded in agreement, before chasing after their friends.

Getting around the mountain was a bit of a challenge, and while it was tedious at times, the knights and country's heroes were definitely keeping an eye out for the Shield Demon and his party.

Meanwhile, the six heroes discovered special materials that they realized were on the list of things they could bring to Resolute Oasis. There were special rocks and lumber that were slightly showing some magic aura to them. Stopping to grab these things did cause their group to be distant from the others, but they used the opportunity to transport the materials to the Gummi Ship secretly from the eyes of the others. They didn't bother waiting for them this time around.

After what felt like an hour of walking, darkness started to take form in the skyies above them as they found themselves walking down the mountain a bit, towards the topside of a ravine. They could see a large rock with one lone tree on tip of it. The other side of the ravine was very far, with a cliffside that was much higher than where they were standing, save for one area, which only had a narrow, naturally-formed bridge that started from one of the lower parts of the cliffside they were standing on.

The six heroes raced up from behind as they noticed the group had came to a halt to gather around something, or possibly someone. They couldn't see who it was from a distant, due to the darkness, but as they got closer, they suddenly noticed the person had suddenly disappeared, but not before exiting through a familiar black portal of sorts.

"Was that…?" Asuna started, as Sora dashed down the hill to join the army and heroes.

As soon as he was within earshot of the three heroes and the princess, Sora asked, "Who was that?!"

"The person who tipped us off before." Itsuki answered, a little concerned, "He said that Naofumi's group came this way."

"He also said something quite interesting, as well." Ren added, glaring at the group of six, "He told us that should you guys get involved, you would side with the Shield Demon."

"What?" Donald questioned in confusion.

"But why would we choose to side with him?" Yui asked.

"You tell me." Myne approached them with a look that showed she was planning something, "How do we know you guys are not with the Shield Demon? For all we know, you could've been brainwashed."

"And how could we have been brainwashed?" Asuna questioned, "Your logic makes no sense!"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Myne smugly stated, "The Shield Demon has a special shield that can brainwash his targets just by speaking to them. The Three Heroes Church has proven that to be true!"

"Really?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know." Donald replied.

"Let's backtrack a moment ago, here." Kirito stopped the conversation, getting in between the two groups of heroes, "We would like to know who that person was that you guys were speaking to first. What did he look like?"

"That's not important!" Motoyasu retorted, "We're the ones questioning you on whether you guys are really with Naofumi or not!"

"I just need to know who he was." Kirito spoke up louder, "Is there any harm in telling us who he looked like?!"

Motoyasu growled, about to retort, but Itsuki intervened by answering, "I don't see how it could benefit you, but we do know the guy had blue hair and wore a black coat."

The six heroes looked to one another, surprised. "The black coat definitely means…" Sora started.

"The Organization!" Donald, Goofy and Yui answered simultaneously.

"And if the guy has blue hair…" Asuna followed up.

"…That might possibly be Saïx." Kirito finished, looking to the princess and the three heroes, "Listen, that guy is bad news. If he's involved in all of this, then there's no doubt it's not something you should follow."

"So you're basically saying NOT to follow where Naofumi is going." Motoyasu falsely understood, "Is that what you are implying?"

"N-No, that's not…!" Asuna started.

"Cease your ramblings!" Myne ordered loudly, pointing at all six of them, "You have just given us further proof that the six of your are involved with the Shield Demon. You six are obviously heretics who are aiding in his actions to ruin the kingdom!"

"Wait, what?!" Sora gasped, "We're not doing any of that! We've even been helping you guys fight off the Heartless!"

"He's right. What would we gain from protecting you guys?!" Kirito demanded, "Our weapons are the only ones truly capable of stopping them."

"You are right about that. But that makes you even more suspicious." Itsuki pointed out, "Your guys's weapons are the ones capable of stopping those monsters. For all we know, you guys could've been controlling the Heartless."

"That's absolutely ridiculous!" Donald squawked angrily.

"The Heartless are controlled by those with darkness in their hearts!" Sora angrily defended, "There's no way we're the ones controlling them!"

"But do you have any proof that you aren't the ones controlling them?" Ren asked, "You have better knowledge of them, whereas we never saw them before until recently."

The six heroes suddenly realized that Myne, the three heroes, and the small army had them surrounded with their backs to the cliff. And from the looks of it, they didn't look like they were in the mood for arguing any further.

"The Shield Demon is without a doubt controlling the Heartless, and you six are allied with him!" Myne declared, pointing a downward finger at the group, her body only slightly emanating a dark aura, "Whether you are brainwashed by his shield, or joining with him as heretics, it does not matter! If we kill all of you, that will be one problem solved to save this country. The kingdom of Melromarc will be safer without you!" The three heroes, along with the military, readied their weapons, prepared to fight them to the death.

"We shouldn't fight with one another!" Sora exclaimed, "That's what the Organization wants!"

"Sora, I think you're speaking to deafen ears." Kirito grimaced, readying his Keyblade.

"Yui, I am sorry about this." Motoyasu apologized, gripping his spear tight, "I promise we won't kill you. I will free you from Naofumi's control." Yui looked really irritated at his misplaced reasonings.

Sora's group was looking both hesitant and prepared to fight off the distrusting group of soldiers and heroes. Things were about to happen when suddenly, there was a screech from the other side of the ravine, followed by something that shot out from one of the highest parts nearby, landing heavily far from the left of the six heroes, close to the soldiers and Ren. Everyone turned to see what it was, and saw a large Heartless.

It looked very much like a rat, though there were some features that looked very possum-like. It had a muddy brown body, with a dark red on its' back and all four legs, a gold, four-pointed star on its' back, and yellow jagged lines outlining the red parts, and on its' front arms. It had sharp buck teeth, two whiskers on each side, rounded ears, white beads around its non-existent neck, and the Heartless emblem on its' chest. Its' front paws had three long talons, and the back ones were more flat and curved, design for more standing than attacking. The oddest part was its three tails, the central one longer than the others, and they were wrapped around a sphere containing dark purple smoke.

It screeched as it charged at the army, who scattered as Ren tried to charge forwards with a lightning blade attack. The Heartless barreled right through Ren, sending him flying towards Itsuki and Motoyasu, who were stunned at its' sudden appearance.

"What's with this rodent?!" Motoyasu demanded.

"It must've been summoned by those six!" Myne claimed, scared at the sight, but trying to keep a cool head, "Those cowards would rather let that thing kill us!"

"It's attacking us, too!" Sora defended as Yui analyzed the Heartless.

"It's name is Goetria!" Yui told the others, "From what I can tell, it tends to snatch things of great power with its' tails, or even contain them inside the orb it forms onto its' back."

"It steals stuff with great power?!" Donald questioned, looking at the orb onto its' back, as did the majority of the group. Kirito was the one who saw what was within the smoke that was shifting about within the sphere. He only saw it briefly, but it was not an item he saw. It was a pair of sleeping faces. Young, female faces.

"There are a couple of girls in there!" Kirito noticed.

"Say what?!" Asuna questioned incredulously.

"It took people?!" Goofy questioned.

"Then we just have to free them!" Sora declared, as the six of them prepared to fight the Heartless.

They charged at one another as the Heartless made a leaping swipe at the group, causing them to scatter. Asuna thrusted her Keyblade at the face of the Heartless, who flinched from the attack, while Goofy and Donald struck with melee and magic together. Sora, Kirito, and Yui all raced towards either side of the Heartless, trying to get a better look at what was within the capsule. Sora hopped onto the Heartless's back to get a close look at who was within.

Kirito was right. There were two girls, probably around the same-looking age as Yui; around ten years old. One looked like a blonde-haired girl in a frilly white and blue dress. The other was a dark-blue haired girl that wore a frilly dress that was a variety of blues and white, and it looked much fancier than the other.

"Hold on! I'll get you outta there!" Sora declared, slamming his Keyblade on the container. However, he was jerked off at the Heartless suddenly jumping high, causing Sora to hit the ground. It landed far from the group, close to the three heroes and Myne.

Motoyasu suddenly noticed the faces within the capsule, and recognized them. "That's Filo! And Princess Melty!" He gasped, causing shocked faces among the others.

"Wait, weren't those the names of one of Naofumi's slaves and the princess he kidnapped?" Asuna questioned, hearing the names from a distance.

"I don't get it. Why are those two inside that thing?" Itsuki questioned, taking a leap back and letting loose an arrow to damage it.

"If Naofumi is the one controlling the Heartless, why would he allow them to be captured by that monster?" Ren wondered out loud, defending the army by unleashing a lightning slash that did very little damage to the Heartless. It turned and swatted at him, which he backed off from the attack, forcing to retreat.

The Goetria turned and galloped towards the six leading heroes, with Asuna and Donald unleashing Water magic in the face, damaging it. It came to a halt, and its' spiraling pupil eyes flashed as the orb on its back glowed. It stood up on its hind legs, and swiped its claw in the air. What was the point of that? It channeled magic that unleashed a slash of water that blasted Donald and Asuna.

"It can use Water magic?!" Yui questioned, "My analyzer didn't tell me that!"

"Guess that's something that wasn't added into the information." Kirito stated.

Sora focused himself as he switched to his Shooting Star Keyblade. " **Shotlock: Diving Barrage!** " He shouted, and he magically vanished and reappeared high above the Heartless, his Keyblades suddenly transformed into twin guns, and his clothing changed colors. He then started spinning downwards as he fired the guns repetitively, creating blue lines that spiraled downward, and energy bullets rain down upon the Heartless's body and the capsule. He fired the attack several times before he came out of his Shotlock, backing off.

"Nice, Sora!" Asuna stated, charging forward as she unleashed several stabs with her Keyblade, followed by a series of Blizzard spells. Goofy and Kirito joined midway through her assault, damaging it further. The Goetria retaliated by making the sphere glow again, and unleashing a tornado of wind that surrounded its' body, forcing the others to back off.

"It can use Wind and Water magic?" Asuna questioned, "I didn't expect it with the kind of body it has."

"I don't think that's it." Kirito answered, "There seemed to be more to it."

"Hey, did you guys notice the orb glow before he used magic?" Goofy asked, getting surprised looks from the others.

"Oh, yeah! The Goetria does capture things with great power." Yui recalled, seeing it unleash another slash of water with its claws, and dodging to one side, "What if it can use those powers to its' advantage?"

"It can use the power of whatever it has captured?" Asuna questioned, looking to the heroes, "Do those two know magic?"

"Come to think of it, Filo can use Wind magic." Motoyasu realized, looking to Myne, "Does that mean your sister is able to use Water?"

"Yes, she can." The princess answered, looking down, her eyes shadowed. In a couple of seconds, a malicious smirk formed, as she came up with a story, and declared, "So that's it! The Shield Demon is using my sweet sister and one of his slaves to empower this beast!"

"Seriously?!" Motoyasu gasped, "He's using my sweet Filo and the princess to power up that thing?!"

Myne raised an open palm, unleashing fire arrows at the capsule repetitively. "In order to save them from being used by that monster, they and that sphere must be destroyed!" She declared.

"Say what?!" Ren gasped, questioning the logic behind such a statement, "But one of them in there is your sister!"

"I don't care!" She barked back, "It's better for her to die than to be used by that Shield and his monster!"

The Goetria turned to Myne and Motoyasu, screeching at them, causing them fear. Itsuki and Ren both looked pretty startled by the presence of the Heartless, but steeled themselves as they prepared to fight the Heartless. However, there was a blast of ice from behind it, and it turned to see Kirito standing there, his palm out as he had donned the Soul Armament of Snow Villers, amplifying the power of his Blizzard magic. "Your fight is with us!" He called out, "Leave them out of this!" Sora, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui all came together to join his side, prepared to face the Heartless.

The Goetria turned to face them, screeching at them. All of a sudden, a dome of dark energy encompassed the area, blocking out the army, the three heroes, and Myne. This left the six to face the Goetria with no interference.

"I bet we can destroy that capsule to save to girls." Goofy suggested.

"And that can weaken the Heartless, too." Kirito added.

"Then let's make that our top priority!" Sora declared, "Everyone, let's go!"

"Right!" The others shouted in response.

The six went to work, with Kirito, Goofy, Asuna and Donald playing decoy for the Heartless, while Sora and Yui mainly focused on attacking the capsule containing the girls. While it was effective, the Heartless was definitely not making it easy for them. Sure, it had its own attacks, which were basically charging at them, leaping at them to create shockwaves, and slashing with its' claws. However, it was the magic attacks that covered more ground, such as razor-sharp blades of water shot from his claws, and whirlwinds that it could erupt from around itself or underneath the others, making them flail in the air.

Sora used his Hero's Origin Keyblade to block a charging attack from the Heartless, and felt the weapon surging with energy, like back in Twilight Town. " **Formchange: Counter Shield!** " He shouted, and his Keyblade transformed into the shield form, while his clothing gained a yellow hue to it.

"His weapon became a shield, just like they said before!" Itsuki noticed.

"Those heretics are showing their true colors even further." One of the soldiers stated, "They worship the Shield Demon, and try to fight like him!"

Ren and Itsuki looked to them, and saw that all the soldiers had a look that disturbed their very hearts. They chose not to be reasonable with they way the six fought. They felt that if they could paint Naofumi as more of their enemy, then they would use these people as scapegoats to further their faith. They even started to emanate a dark aura for some reason.

The Goetria's eyes flashed, feeling the darkness from outside the cage. It then made the capsule glow, despite the cracks that were forming on it from the attacks the heroes created on it. It then suddenly vanished and reappeared in the air above Asuna and Goofy, who turned to see it land on top of them, hurting them painfully. I then leapt up, and instantaneously vanished to reappear above Sora's position, this time in the air in front of him. He placed his guard up, blocking the diving attack with his shield. It leapt up over him again, vanishing and reappearing over Yui and Donald's position, landing down upon them and damaging them.

"So fast!" Kirito noticed, watching as it vanished and reappeared over Asuna and Goofy again, who were able to get out of the way of the main impact this time, though were still blown a bit from the attack.

"It's just like that quick step move that Filo seems to do!" Motoyasu recognized, seeing it vanish and reappear over Kirito, who reactively pushed himself far from the landing point and the shockwaves. It kept doing this a few more times, targeting each of the groups until it came to a halt in the center of the battlefield.

"I got 'em!" Sora declared, charging forward as his shield with a more prominent look from its standard, sparking with blue energy. He then shot forward and unleashed the Wrathful Flurry technique, summoning multiple large fists from his shield, and damaging the Goetria relentlessly.

"I'm on it!" Kirito shouted, readying his Keyblade, " **Soul Burst: Snow Villiers!** " His Keyblade summoned the silhouette of Snow, who dove into his Keyblade. The weapon shined, and transformed into ice dust, that formed the bear emblem on his back, and gloves on his hands.

He charged forward as the Goetria leapt backwards to avoid the close-range attack, though getting itself close to Yui and Donald. Kirito retaliated by unleashing his amplified Blizzard spell one after another, the attack becoming stronger and stronger as he fired it. The Goetria had its' whiskers frozen, but it rose up and slashed at Kirito with a water blade. He sidestepped the maneuver, and knew he was distracting the Heartless with his presence.

"Yui! Donald! Get it!" Kirito shouted.

"Let's go, Donald!" Yui cheered, charging forward and unleashing a Whirlwind spell onto the capsule.

"You got it!" The duck answered, using his Fire spell to damage it even further. They charged in together after using their magic, leaping up at the capsule. Yui unleashed Fan-Fair, while Donald brought his staff down like a hammer. Their combined attack finally made the cracks on the capsule to connect and create a chain reaction until finally, it broke apart. The Goetria shrieked as the capsule exploded from its' back, causing the dark mist within to dissipate into the air, and the two young girls to fall from the back. Donald caught the blonde-haired girl, while Yui grabbed the dark-blue haired girl.

"Yes, we saved them!" Asuna cheered.

"Are they okay?!" Sora called out to the pair.

"I think so." Donald answered.

"They're unconscious, but they should wake up, soon!" Yui explained.

"The Goetria looks very weakened with the loss of those two." Kirito noticed, seeing the Heartless was panting from exhaustion.

"Donald! Yui! Get those two over here!" Asuna called out to the two. They struggled to pick them up nicely, not being the strongest out of any of the others, but thanks to Goofy rushing over, they brought the two girls towards the cliffside.

"Let's hit 'em with our best attacks!" Sora told Kirito, who nodded in agreement. Both did have charged up their attacks, prepared to unleash their stronger moves, and were free to unleash them, now that everyone else was out of the way.

Kirito focused himself, feeling the great amount of power that came from using his Blizzard spell over and over while in his Soul Armament. He pulled back his fist, shouting, " **Blizzaza!** " He shot a large ball of icy energy, hitting the Heartless, and creating massive spikes of icicles that punctured and froze the oversized rodent in its' place.

"Go, Sora!" Kirito called out.

"Right!" Sora answered, tossing his shield upwards, which transformed right before their eyes into a glowing chariot, complete with reigns that attached itself to a glowing pegasus. Sora jumped onto the chariot, and snapped the reigns. The pegasus started flying Sora about, raining thunder bolts from the sky down onto the battlefield as he did so. He guided the pegasus so it would circle about the Goetria, raining lightning bolts down onto it. After a few seconds, his Finishing move died down, and the pegasus and chariot faded away, reverting the Hero's Origin Keyblade back to normal.

As Yui and Donald kept close to the two girls, the other four surrounded the Goetria as it weakly rose up again. It looked at all of them, seeing it was outclassed. It then dissipated the dome barrier surrounding the battlefield, and leapt away onto the higher rocks, before bounding over to the other side, and vanishing into the trees.

"It's getting away!" Sora cried out, wanting to race after it.

"Hold on!" Asuna stopped him, turning to Donald and Yui with the young girls, "We have to make sure those young girls are still with us. And also…" She looked back at the original issue that they had before the Heartless showed up; The army, the three heroes, and the manipulative princess.

"Filo!" Motoyasu cried out, about to race towards the young lady. However, Kirito got in front of him, spreading his arms out. This ruffled the Spear Hero's feathers as he growled, "Get out of my way, you devil!"

"So I'm a devil, now?" Kirito questioned, readying his fists, "Seems to be you are being manipulated by one." Motoyasu gritted his teeth, not liking the disrespect he was giving to Myne.

At the cliffside, the two girls were starting to come around, and they opened their eyes. "Are you okay?" Donald asked them.

The dark-blue haired girl looked up and around, then answered, "Where am I?"

"You were encapsulated by a Heartless." Yui explained, "Don't worry. We saved you."

The blonde-haired girl sat up straight, then got onto her feet as she asked, "Wait, where is Master?"

"Your Master?" Yui echoed.

"Young ladies, I hate to break this to you, even though you just woke up…" Asuna spoke up, walking backwards towards them, her Keyblade out at the ready, "…but I'm afraid we're in a bit of a complex situation." Donald helped the blue-haired girl up as she and the other girl noticed the situation they were in.

A couple of the soldiers charged at Sora and Goofy, who blocked their attack, and pushed them away from them, hesitant to fight back. Motoyasu tried to strike down Kirito with his spear, but he grasped the handle closest to the blade, preventing him from trying to attack him more.

"Filo! Don't worry! I'm here to save you!" The Spear Hero called out to the blonde-haired girl, "You as well, Princess Melty!"

"My dear sister~!" Myne called out to the blue-haired girl, in a sweet voice that was clearly fake to those who knew her true nature, "Do not worry. We're here to save you from that Shield Demon and the cohorts here that have come to steal you away from us!"

"Yeah, right! That's a big load of crap!" Kirito growled at the princess.

The girl named Melty looked up at those who were helping her right now, to the ones who were defending against the army, to the army itself, as well as the heroes and Myne. However, one look at her older sister, and she looked frightened.

"Mel, are you okay?" The blonde-haired girl asked.

"I'm sorry you suddenly woke up to this, but the fact is that we're trying to save you two." Asuna explained, looking back at them, "Please, trust us!"

Melty looked at Asuna, then to Yui and Donald, then answered, "Okay, I trust you. Please, help us!"

"If Mel trusts you, then so do I!" The other girl stated eagerly.

Donald, Yui, and Asuna smiled at her, then the latter called out, "Kirito!"

"Right, hold on!" Kirito answered, delivering an icy punch into Motoyasu's gut, causing him to fly right into any oncoming soldiers. He then shouted to everyone, "We're clearing out! Get over the bridge!"

Sora and Goofy backed away from the soldiers, and ran away from them as they charged after. Asuna, Donald, Yui, and the two girls took the lead as they hopped down to the lower area that the bridge was at.

"Mel!" The blonde girl called out, and she created a puff of smoke that consumed her body. When she reappeared, she had transformed into what looked like a large, fat bird, almost owl looking, with white feathers, with pink ones around her chest, on top of her head, and on her wings.

"Whoa!" Asuna gasped, not expecting that.

"Get on, Mel!" The bird-girl called out, and Melty hopped on.

"Thanks, Filo!" Melty thanked her.

"Can you get Yui and Donald onto your back?" Asuna asked.

"Of course! Climb aboard!" Filo answered, and the two shorter characters hopped on, as Goofy and Sora hopped down to join them.

"Whoa! Where did this bird come from?!" Sora gasped.

"I'll explain later!" Asuna answered, "Where's Kirito?"

"He's on his way!" Goofy answered.

Up on the higher part, Kirito found himself blocked off to join the others by a circle of enemies. He looked at the state of his situation, and grimaced. "You have nowhere to run!" Myne called out, "Surrender and die for the sake of the kingdom, and the Church of the Three Heroes."

"I got a better idea." Kirito answered, " **Advance Burst: Shiva Sisters!** " He summoned a magic circle with his crystal, and out came the sister Eidolons, who came together to form a motorcycle. Kirito hopped onto it, revving the engine as a warning to the terrified group.

"What the hell?!" Motoyasu gasped, "Since when do motorcycles exist in this world?!"

Kirito spun himself around, and charged straight at Myne and the soldiers around her. She panicked and dove out of the way, falling to the ground as she did so. Some of the soldiers got buffered and knocked out of the way, taken down by the charging vehicle.

"Kirito's coming. Let's go!" Asuna told the others, and she led the others across the stone bridge, Filo carrying the three shortest characters.

They were almost to the other side as Kirito drove down another path to reach the bridge. He started crossing it as Ren and more soldiers joined his side. "Better take this bridge out…" He told himself, and he used his motorcycle's magic to create a steep ice ramp, while freezing the other half of the stone bridge. He drove up the ramp, and made sure to slow down enough to hit the part of the bridge he froze up with his back wheel. Due to the ice, it caused the bridge to break apart much easier upon impact, causing it to crumble as he barely got over the bridge to join the others, skidding to halt.

He turned around to see the ice ramp vanish, with only Ren standing there at the edge of the fallen bridge, looking surprised at what just happened. "Hey, Ren!" Kirito shouted to the Sword Hero, getting his attention, "I trust you and Itsuki a hell of a lot more than anyone else there, and I know you're smarter than them. Here!" He dug into his pocket, and pulled out the Church of the Three Heroes rosario, tossing it to him. It fell to the ground at his feet, and he looked at it. "I bet that's a big clue to who's really pulling the strings!" Kirito finished, "Figure things out on your end!"

"Wait, Kirito!" Ren called out, "Don't run!"

Kirito narrowed his eyes as he answered quietly, "We don't have a choice, right now. Let's go."

"Okay." Asuna answered, walking over to him as she hopped onto the back of the motorcycle. Sora and Goofy gave themselves a running start as they ran ahead, with Filo and her passengers onboard. Kirito revved up the engine on his ride, and drove off with them, leaving Ren to pick up the rosario, then look onwards at where the group had left.

* * *

After ten or twenty minutes of fleeing, early of which Kirito's Advance Burst reverted to normal, they found themselves in a small clearing with some rocks good enough to sit on. They stopped there to catch their breath after what they had to deal with, with Filo reverting to her human form again.

"That was tough…" Sora sighed.

"Waaaah…! I can't believe those guys!" Donald squawked angrily, "Why did they have to attack us like that?!"

"And after we were bein' friendly and helpin' them." Goofy whimpered.

"It's not our fault." Kirito sighed, "It's that princess that was messing with them. She's a real piece of work."

"I can't believe someone of that royalty could be so cruel and manipulative!" Asuna sneered, then looking to the other princess, she added, "No offense to you."

"None taken. My sister has always been a bad example." Melty answered, standing up and looking to the six, "I know this is a little belated, but thank you for saving us from that monster, as well as from my sister. I'm Melty Q Melromarc, second princess of Melromarc Kingdom, as well as its' crown princess."

"And I'm Filo." The blonde-haired girl greeted, "Mel is my friend. Thank you for saving us!"

"It's no problem." Yui answered, "My name is Yui. These are my papa and mama, Kirito and Asuna. That's Sora, Donald and Goofy."

Asuna noticed something, and asked Melty, "You said 'crown princess', right? So that means you're next in line instead of her?"

"Yes. My sister, Malty, has been spoiled and pampered for the majority of her life, leading her to become selfish and manipulative." Melty looked rather saddened by this as she said it, but added, "If she were to take me back there, it's more than likely she would've killed me."

"I get it. She wanted to be next in line to the throne so bad, she would kill her own little sister." Kirito understood, "I could tell she would do that without hesitation. That explains a lot of what she had planned."

"So, how did you guys end up captured by that Heartless?" Sora asked.

"You mean that rat monster?" Filo asked, "We ended up running into it while we were running!"

"We were making our way to Siltbelt when one of my mother's Shadows, her spies, appeared." Melty started.

"Your mother?" Donald echoed.

"Does that mean she's the queen?" Goofy asked.

"Yes. She wished to meet with the Shield Hero, that is to say Naofumi, so we started to make our way there. Then suddenly, dark creatures appeared to try and stop us. We were able to fight them off, but Filo and I ended up separated by Naofumi and Raphtalia. We ended up encountering that massive monster and…well, I can't remember much of what happened then."

"It's okay. We have an understanding of what happened." Asuna understood, "What I don't get is why is everyone thinking this Naofumi kidnapped you. Is he a bad person?"

"No!" Filo cried out, "Master is really kind! He raised me since I was an egg, and took care of me, and defended me. Especially from that creepy Spear Hero. And he's even helped so many other people, so he's not a bad person!"

"And the kidnapping?" Sora asked Melty.

"It was all a lie. They set it up to make everyone believe I was kidnapped by them." Melty answered, sitting down as she looked sad, "I believe the Church of the Three Heroes, as well as my sister, were behind that setup."

"That's horrible…" Donald stated.

"Seems like we've heard nothing but horrible things about the Shield Hero." Sora muttered, looking to the others, "I can't believe so many people want him to be the bad guy. Why is that?"

"From what I know from the three heroes, it seems they're jealous of his power." Kirito stated, "The Church sees him as a demon for their own religious beliefs. As for Myne and the other royals, I'm not too sure. But one things for sure; Naofumi practically has the entire country against him. He obviously doesn't have it easy."

The others looked a bit sympathetic towards Naofumi's condition in all of this. Finally, Sora stood up and declared, "Then, let's go find him and help him! He doesn't have a whole lot of friends, right? Then we should be there to help him out, and find who's really behind the Heartless attacks!"

"Really?!" Filo asked eagerly, "You'll help my Master out?!"

"Of course." Sora answered, thumping his chest.

"Hooray! Hooray!" Filo jumped with joy at the prospect of them helping out. Sora looked pleased at cheering the little girl up.

"Well, it's not like we have any other choice." Asuna stated, "We're here to stop the Heartless, so we gotta find the mastermind behind it all."

"Right. And if Naofumi's in the center of this conflict, then we gotta go and protect him from whoever's framing him." Kirito stated, looking to Melty, "I hope you don't mind our assistance, princess."

"No. I would very much appreciate your assistance." Melty answered, standing up again, "Also, I would like to ask that you call me 'Melty', if that is okay with you, sir."

"Just as long as you don't call me 'sir'." Kirito answered.

"Very well." Melty understood, looking to the group who saved them, "Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy, Yui…please help clear the Shield Hero's name." The six nodded in response, agreeing to aid them in this endeavor.

Suddenly, Donald saw something and shouted, "Look!" They looked towards where he was pointing, and saw something. There was a mixture of red and orange flickering from the distance.

"Is that sunrise?" Goofy asked.

"No. It's way too early." Melty answered.

"I think…" Asuna saw it and gasped, "It's a fire!"

Suddenly, fireballs shot clear over the field, and rained down upon the clearing near them. The heroes looked startled, until they recognized the fireballs. Flame Cores.

"Heartless from the sky?!" Sora gasped, and getting his Keyblade out, "It's like Thebes all over again!"

"Where did they come from?!" Filo questioned.

"Guys, you'd better stay back!" Asuna told the two girls, as the six readied for battle, "You're still recovering from that time captured by the Heartless!"

"Not like we're getting a break…" Donald complained.

"Let's stop complaining and defeat them!" Sora declared.

The six charged, taking on the Flame Cores as quickly as they could, all the while noticing the flames coming down the mountain towards them. They did notice something at a couple points; fireballs raining onto the mountain from a distance. It wasn't totally distracting the heroes from the fight, but it did draw some concerns.

More Flame Cores, including more Soldier and Choke o' Breaks appeared, making it even more difficult for the heroes. Fortunately, Filo and Melty ended up joining them midway.

" **Zwei Aqua Shot!** " Melty shouted, unleashing a blast of water from her hands, dousing the Heartless Asuna was fighting. She stopped and turned to see Melty standing there, but saw Filo in her bird form, leaping over her to help Sora, shouting, " **Zweit Tornado!** " With a swish of her wing, she unleashed a powerful tornado that sent the Heartless flying.

"Nice one, Filo!" Sora cheered.

"Hey, I can use whirlwind, too." Yui added, unleashing her Whirlwind spell, "Sora, go!"

"Right!" Sora answered, leaping onto the whirlwind, sending himself flying high, glaring at one Choke o' Break Heartless, unleashing his Airstepping technique to get in close and smack it hard before it could make a move, sending it crashing into the side of the clearing, destroying it.

Kirito cleared out the remaining Flame Cores with his Shotlock: Starburst Stream. However, as he did so, he noticed some small fractures of flames that emanated from the ones he defeated. They converged together to form a small, magic orb made of flames. "What?" Kirito questioned, questioning what it was.

Sora and the others noticed the clearing had no more Heartless. However, as he looked about, he noticed Filo was glowing a windy, green energy. "What's happening?" She asked, looking down at herself, seeing the energy suddenly take form as a windy magic orb.

Asuna also noticed Melty had a blue aura around her, which was even surprising her, as it took form as a watery magic orb. "What is this?" Melty asked, cupping the orb in her hands.

Suddenly, Kirito, Sora, and Asuna's Keyblades jerked their hands upwards, their tips pointing towards the orbs they each saw. The fire orb suddenly shot into Kirito's Keyblade, making the teeth and shaft emanate a fiery glow. The wind orb flew right into Sora's Keyblade, making the teeth and shaft encased in a gusty aura. The water orb shot into Asuna's Keyblade, consuming the teeth and shaft in a watery energy.

"What is this?" Sora questioned, looking at this new power, "Is this…magic?"

Kirito looked at the fiery blade he had, and swung it, creating a fiery slash. "My attack is now a fiery slash." Kirito recognized, seeing the flame die out from his teeth.

Sora swung his Keyblade, creating a wind-imbued slash of his blade, while Asuna's thrust created a water-imbued thrust. The magical energy from each of their weapons also died afterwards.

"Hey, I know what that is!" Donald realized, "That's an Elemental Strike!"

"Elemental Strike?" Sora asked, looking to him.

"Yeah! Your attacks can now be fused with magic, unleashing physical attacks that are of a different element." Donald explained, "Sora, you have Galestrike. Asuna, you have Aquastrike. And Kirito, you have Flamestrike."

"So, they are physical attacks that are imbued with an element." Kirito understood, looking to Asuna and Yui, "ALO has similar techniques like that, too."

"Yeah. Like your Savage Fulcrum and my Neutron Skills." Asuna recalled.

"I don't know what just happened, but it seemed like we powered your weapons up with magic, right?" Melty asked as she and Filo got into the center of their group.

"In a way. Thanks for that." Sora thanked them.

"You're welcome, although I have no idea how I did it." Filo stated.

"Hey, we should get going, shouldn't we?" Goofy asked, looking to the forest fire that was coming their way. The smoke was now on top of them.

"He's right. Let's get out of here before things get worse for us." Kirito told the group, who nodded in agreement, and took off through a path through the forest.

"If I recall correctly, there is a town to the south of here." Melty stated, "I'm pretty sure we can find some information about Naofumi and Raphtalia if we head there."

"So, did those Heartless start the forest fire?" Sora asked, looking back on the scene.

"Maybe, but I believe it was more planned than randomly ignited by them." Asuna answered, "We saw fireballs, maybe some fire arrows, igniting the forest."

"Seeing as where it came from, I bet that army and that princess were involved with it somehow." Kirito assumed, "They wanna smoke us out, or just kill us altogether."

"Would they really go that far?" Yui asked, looking to Melty.

"Knowing my sister during this time…I have to assume she would. She'll probably even blame Naofumi for the fire, too."

The six heroes looked to Melty and Filo, then to the path ahead. It was clear somebody was dead set on making the Shield Hero the villain. And they were the ones using the Heartless to set him up. And what's worse, thanks to that princess, they were labeled as the ones who were controlling the Heartless, and were Naofumi's villainous allies. With everything set against the six of them, they had to find a way to protect themselves, save Naofumi and his friends, stop the Heartless, and find out who the real mastermind was behind all of this. Things were just chaotic and dark for them.

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Raging Shield! Clear Naofumi's Name!**


	11. Raging Shield! Clear Naofumi's Name!

**Apologies for the wait. I know you were worried I wouldn't post my next chapter soon, but a lot is happening, and I got distracted. Still, I am here, and still writing. And while I thought this chapter was gonna be the second-half of the story, I realized that this world and the story it carries is so loaded, I ended up making it a three-part instead. So here's part two of three. Enjoy!**

 **Note: There is foul language within this chapter. Fair warning to all.**

* * *

In a small town, far away from the mountain forest that had burned down the other night, there was a merchant that was selling fruits and sandwiches. Kirito and Donald were at the stand, getting food for themselves and the rest of their party that were hidden away.

"So, what brings you folks to our town?" Asked the seller, "You adventurers?"

"Yeah. We've come to this country to seek out the Shield Demon." Kirito explained, using the fake story they made up, "You wouldn't happen to have any leads, would you?"

"Why? You worship him or something?" The seller asked, looking suspiciously at the pair.

"Not on your life! We're gonna stop him!" Donald retorted.

"We heard the price on his head was so good, we could live large for life." Kirito stated, giving a malicious grin at this, "Who could pass up a reward like that?" Donald gave a chuckle at the idea of all that munny, only for Kirito to prod him with his hip to silence him.

"I agree, it is tempting. However, you would have to be crazy strong to face the likes of him." The seller stated, putting the food in a bag and handing it to Kirito, "Plus, I've heard he's even been summoning those weird monsters that have been killing people left and right. We've even heard news that it was he that started the forest fire in the mountains."

"Well, we're more than a match for that guy." Kirito stated confidently.

"Just you wait. We'll be making big changes by dealing with him!" Donald declared.

"Good luck with that." The seller responded, "I can tell you right now that Siltbelt is out of the question. The checkpoints are closed, and the border patrol in on high alert. No way could the Shield Demon and his party make it through there."

"Got it. Thanks." Kirito thanked the food stall seller, and he and Donald left him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the town, within the end of an alleyway, Asuna discovered an area where she can communicate with Liz's Blacksmith Shop to purchase, sell, and hand materials and whatnot to Liz and the Moogles. After getting use to the new system, Asuna briefly explained the situation they were in.

"Geez, I never would've picked you guys as criminals in our world." Liz stated, slightly baffled by the story she was told, "Just because you guys were helping them against the Heartless, they label you guys as allies to this 'Shield Hero' guy?"

"Pretty much." Asuna answered, "I'm pretty sure we've made some sort of alliance with one or two of the other heroes. But as for the rest of them, they are either too dumb or deliberately pointing the finger at us."

"It's so unbelievable, you'd think you were only doing a quest in ALO, not real life!" Liz grimaced, "Guess the quest is for you guys to clear your name and find out who the real culprit is. Gotta clue as to whom?"

"We do have a few suspects in this world." Asuna answered, "However, we do know that the Organization is behind part of this mess. They also want to blame the Shield Hero, and even place us under the guillotine while they are at it. But as for their true intentions behind it, I have no clue."

"Well, it's way over my head." Liz nonchalantly stated, "I'll leave it to you guys to figure this whole mess out. If you need anything from my shop, I'll do what I do best to support you guys."

"Thanks, Liz." Asuna thanked her with a smile, "I'll try to bring the others over when we have an open opportunity. Take care until then." Liz waved goodbye, and the Moogle station died away.

Asuna pocketed the device that was used to communicate with her, and she left the scene. As she did so, she hid herself after noticing a few of the soldiers of the kingdom speaking to one another. She peered around the corner, keeping her ears and eyes opened at what they were talking about.

* * *

 **(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)**

 **Music intro**

 _(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)_

 **I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb**

 _(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)_

 **This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue**

 _(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)_

 **'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun**

 _(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)_

 **Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa**

 _(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)_

 **Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side**

 _(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide**

 _(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)_

 **Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to**

 _(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)_

 **face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you**

 _(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)_

 **"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won**

 _(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)_

 **A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!**

 _(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)_

 **Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal**

 _(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)_

 **As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!**

 _(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)_

 **So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment**

 _(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)_

 **It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!**

 _(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)_

 **Song ends.**

* * *

On the outskirts of town, Sora, Goofy, Yui, Melty and Filo were gathered together by a nearby shop. Yui was getting along pretty well with the two similar looking-aged girls. Sora, meanwhile was testing out his new Galestrike move. As Donald explained, the new move was also used magic energy, but it turned his physical attack into a windy strike.

"This is awesome! Who knew there were new kinds of magic to work with like this!" Sora cheered.

"Yeah. I bet there are all other kinds of Elemental Strikes like that." Goofy noted.

"Hey. Do you think you are able to do that with your shield?" Sora questioned the captain of Mickey's knights.

"Gee, I don't know." He pondered, "I think I did try before, but I could never get it right."

Just then, the two heard Yui and Filo laugh at something, and turned to them. From what they noticed, Yui was getting along quite well with the pair of girls, possibly due to the similar age they appeared and acted.

"It's always nice when you get your daddy to spoil you." Yui stated, "And I love it when my mama takes us out on picnics. Her food is really good!"

"I don't have a mama. Raphtalia is more of an older sister to me." Filo explained, "Still, she tries to get all lovey-dovey with Master without me. I wanna be the one to get spoiled my Master! Don't you want the same, Mel?"

"Wha-!" Melty looked flushed in the face, then retorted, "Of course not! Why would I want that?!"

"That's being a little too selfish, Filo." Yui retorted, "I may want to get spoiled, but I don't want to get in the way of my mama and papa's time. Maybe Raphtalia and your daddy need the same thing."

"I really don't get it…" Filo muttered.

Just then, the group heard someone approaching, and saw Kirito and Donald arriving, with Donald munching on an apple. "Papa!" Yui greeted, as she and the others gathered around the pair.

"Donald, are you eating the food without us?!" Sora questioned.

"Aw, quit your whining, Sora. I only had one fruit." Donald retorted.

"And one of the sandwiches, when I wasn't looking." Kirito added, causing the duck to freeze up, "Still, we got plenty of food for everyone else. Here…" He handed the sandwiches and fruit to the group, minus Donald, and saving the last ones for Asuna.

"So, did you get any info on Naofumi's location?" Melty asked.

"Nothing too concrete. We do know he didn't go to Siltbelt." Kirito explained, "We do know that the news about the six of us haven't been recognized yet. But I've seen soldiers from the capital in town, and I bet it's only a matter of time before we're on a bunch of wanted posters." This didn't make Sora, Goofy or Yui's day by hearing that.

"It's so unfair for them to think we're the bad guys, when we're only trying to help them out." Sora grimaced.

"It is." Melty agreed, "As crown princess, I apologize for how you are treated. As soon as we reunite with the Shield Hero, I will do everything I can to clear all your names."

"Sure, but don't place all the duty onto yourself, Princess Melty." Kirito retorted, "It isn't healthy for someone your age to take up so much responsibility."

"That's rich, coming from you, Kirito." Asuna suddenly appeared from behind, startling the black swordsman, "After everything that you had to deal with back home, from Aincrad to Alfheim, and even GGO, you did place a lot of the pressure onto yourself. And weren't you only fourteen when it all started?"

"Hey, I was fourteen when I started my journey with the Keyblade." Sora pointed out.

"Give me a break. You're only one year older than me." Kirito muttered, rubbing the back of his head, before changing the subject to, "So how did it go on your end?"

"Actually, I got some interesting news." Asuna answered, snatching the bag containing her late breakfast from Kirito, "I overheard some soldiers. They say the reigning lord of the Reichnott Territory had recently been arrested for harboring the Shield Demon, and was taken to the Rabier Territory."

"I know the lord you speak of." Melty stated, shocked by the news, "Lord Van Reichnott is actually an acquaintance to my mother and I, as well as an avid supporter of Demi-humans. So of course he would support the Shield Hero and his party. But why would he be taken to Rabier? Unless…"

"Unless what?" Donald questioned her.

"Well, I have heard rumors of the lord of Rabier, and his abuse and hatred towards Demi-humans, as well as his support to the Three Heroes Church."

"That church again…" Sora muttered with concern. Of what they know so far from journeying with the other three heroes, the church worships the Spear Hero, Sword Hero, and Bow Hero, but resents the Shield Hero, considering anyone who praises his name to be heretics. And what's more, one of the Heartless they fought before dropped the rosario of that church.

"Do ya think that's where the Shield Hero might be?" Goofy asked Asuna.

"It's more than likely, because according to the soldiers, Heartless seem to be heading that way, too." The news startled the others around her, "They believe the Shield Demon is sending the Heartless to destroy the entire territory for their transactions!"

"Oh, no!" Sora and Yui gasped.

"Master would never do something like that!" Filo defended.

"Meaning it's just a way to make the Shield Hero more of the villain." Kirito stated, looking at everyone, "We have to stop things from getting worse. Let's make our way to Rabier!"

"But it is a long distance." Melty pointed out, "We won't make it by foot in time!"

The team paused, thinking on their options, before Filo stated, "If only I had my carriage, I could carry us there in no time."

"There's an idea." Goofy agreed.

"But there's no carts around here for us to get on." Yui pointed out.

Just then, they heard screams from somewhere down the road, followed by a male voice shouting, "Monsters!" They look to see a couple of travelers with horses fleeing from a scene. The group also noticed Soldier Heartless riding Choke-o-Break Heartless after them.

"Let's start with these ones!" Sora declared, the six heroes readying their weapons, drawing the attention of the enemy. Filo and Melty readied themselves, with Filo staying in human form, but pulling out gloves to fight with. The Heartless were a small group, so it didn't take too long. The only tricky part was that the Soldiers riding the Choke-o-Breaks were making them maneuver more accurately.

When they were done, they noticed that the people that were being chased by the Heartless had vanished. However, from where they saw where they came from, they noticed a lone carriage, without a steed to pull it.

"Look! A carriage!" Goofy pointed out.

"Seems like the Heartless scared off those guys from it." Kirito stated the obvious.

After a few second's pause, Donald gave a mischievous chuckle as he said, "I'm sure they won't mind if we 'borrowed' the carriage."

The others looked to him, then to the carriage. "I really don't like the idea of stealing someone else's property like this." Melty muttered.

"Makes you a better royal than that other princess." Kirito stated, "But if we're to make it to Rabier, we don't have a choice."

"Agreed. Let's just make sure we toss their stuff out before we use it." Asuna told the group, "We can't steal all of their possessions."

The group took a few minutes to gather all of the previous owner's belongings, and placed it near the house they waited by. Afterwards, Filo transformed into her bird form, or rather her Filolial Queen form, as Melty explained, and Kirito and Goofy hooked her up, before the latter sat on the driver's seat, while everyone else climbed into the back, and they took off along the road.

* * *

Getting to Rabier was not easy. With a checkpoint in the way, and the security on high alert, the group was rather cautious. It took some maneuvering throughout the place for the group to make it around the checkpoints, dealing with some Heartless groups, while they were at it. Afterward, the road was rather smooth sailing.

"Tell me, why are you helping the Shield Hero?" Melty asked after a long silent ride.

"You ask us this after everything we've done?" Kirito questioned her.

"I'm just curious on your motives, is all." Melty explained, "No ordinary adventurers would just decide to come to the aid of someone who is considered a demon to most of the country."

"He's a friend of your's right?" Sora asked, "We know you and Filo are good girls, and he's important to you. He and Raphtalia need to be saved, so we'll help you save them." Donald and Yui's backs were to Goofy as the two looked to each other, sharing a chuckle at the response.

"That seems way too simple of an answer!" Melty stated exasperatedly.

"True. But Sora's simplicity has led us right so many times." Kirito told her with a smirk, "He means well, and trusts complete strangers in a heartbeat if he believes them to be good people, and that sometimes gets him in things that are way over his head. That's why we're always here to help him out."

"Plus, it's not like we don't have our own motives." Asuna added, "If we do save those two, we can find the real puppeteer of darkness behind the scenes who's been controlling the Heartless. We just need you to trust us, Princess Melty. As well as you, Filo."

"Oh, I already trust you!" Filo answered, "I trusted you guys from the moment you saved Mel and me!"

Melty looked to the group, before sighing in slight relief as she answered, "Well, okay. As long as you swear you will save them."

"We do swear." Kirito assured her, with Sora and Asuna nodding to his answer. Melty averted her gaze, but smiled all the same.

* * *

After a few hours of traveling, the group finally made it to the Reichnott territory. The houses here were definitely made for those of a lesser class, but it still had thriving fields. They saw some people here and there, working in the fields or having fun. What made these people very different from others, however, was the addition of things like animal ears and tails to their human bodies.

"Are those Demi-humans?" Sora asked, peeking out to see them.

"Is that what we're suppose to look like?" Goofy questioned quietly.

 _'They remind me of Cait Sith from Alfheim Online.'_ Kirito mentally compared.

"If Naofumi and Raphtalia went along this path, they might have been making their way to see mother in Faubley." Melty assumed.

"You're mother is the queen, right?" Asuna asked the princess, "Just out of curiosity, why is the queen so far away from the kingdom?"

"She was originally part of a meeting between the other countries, involving what we should have done with the four Heroes." Melty explained, "However, when Melromarc summoned all four heroes by themselves, everything changed. The queen had to extinguish the flames of hatred the other countries had over Melromarc for such a rash action."

"So Melromarc wasn't suppose to summon all four Heroes?" Asuna asked.

"And why is she taking the job?" Kirito questioned, "Shouldn't it have been the king's job?"

"It seems you aren't aware that the kingdom of Melromarc is county based on matrilineal succession. As such, the queen has higher power over my father."

"Wow, so the king is really second in command, huh?" Kirito understood, "That means that the next in line to the throne is, without a doubt, between you and your sister. And if that other princess had her way, she would want to take the throne herself. That's why she would rather have you killed. But seeing her self-centered and spoiled attitude, she would throw this kingdom into absolute chaos."

"Kirito, would it kill you to have a little tact?" Asuna questioned her socially-inept boyfriend.

"No, he's right." Melty agreed, "Even my mother agrees that they spoiled Malty too much when she was little. I had to be the more matured one, and the one more fit to rule over her."

"Being a princess is a lot of work." Asuna understood, "But I'm sure you'll be able to lead this kingdom on the right path. We'll first make sure the Heartless aren't involved in this."

Melty looked outside again, then noticed something as they traveled through. "There don't seem to be that many Demi-humans as I thought. I wonder why that is?"

Goofy and Sora asked Filo to come to a halt at the sight of the nearest person, an elderly man who looked like he had a wolf tail and ears. "Excuse us! Can you tell us where everyone is?" Goofy asked.

"Didn't you hear?" The old man answered, then noticed, "Oh, you're travelers, I see. Well, most of the people around here went to Rabier to have their lord free Lord Reichnott. However, I am worried about them, as there have been sightings of those weird dark monsters nearby. Might wanna steer clear of that place."

"Thank you!" Sora answered, "We'll be on our way!" He then turned back to everyone inside the carriage. All of them had serious glares.

"Guess we have more than just Naofumi and Raphtalia to save." Kirito stated.

"They don't realize what danger they are in, right now!" Sora stated, "We have to save them!"

Filo puffed herself up, then made a dash that increased the speed and the joggling of the cart as she shouted, "Master! Raphtalia! We're coming to save you!"

"Easy! We don't wanna throw up before we get there!" Sora cried out as they flew.

* * *

After a while, in which night had fallen, the team made it the town of Rabier. They didn't go through the town itself, but went along the side, without the cart, as they made their way to the path to the mansion. Based on the large amount of Heartless about the place, it was clear that the mansion was where they were heading to. As for the citizens of Reichnott, they were fleeing for their lives as the Heartless started attacking the place, including the soldiers of the mansion, who were helpless against them.

"We gotta save them!" Sora told the group, and he wall-ran up the wall to make it up on top in order to fight off the Heartless. Kirito and Asuna followed him, followed by everyone else, with Melty riding on Filo's back as they leapt high up.

"Time to get serious." Asuna declared, " **Soul Burst: Tifa Lockhart!** " She hoisted her Keyblade into the air, as the image of Tifa herself appeared, before diving into her Keyblade, which transformed into her metal knuckles. She tugged on the sleeves, before getting into a fighter's stance, and unleashing her brawler style combat.

"I'll join in." Yui added, " **Soul Burst: Second Form!** " She summoned her Keyblade, which shined the image of her original self from SAO, before diving into her Keyblade. It burst into flames, turning into the large flaming blade she used once before.

Both girls went to town unleashing their attacks on the Heartless that were helpless to stop them. As for the closed doors, Yui was able to unleash an X with her blade, before Asuna kicked it into pieces, as they proceeded forward.

Asuna felt her fist suddenly become encased in water. She looked to it, and realized something. A couple of Bizarre Archer Heartless almost got the jump on her, but she shouted, " **Aquastrike!** " Unleashing a powerful punch encased with Water magic, knocking the Heartless right into another group.

Yui charged forward, unleashing slash after slash onto the Heartless, sending them flying before their eyes. Melty was flabbergasted at Yui's strength at this point, while Filo merely charged forward, too determined to save Naofumi and Raphtalia to be shocked. She used her quickstep skills to strike down Heartless that got in the way.

"How is Yui so strong?!" Melty asked.

"That's just how Asuna and I raised her." Kirito answered, "Honestly, she surprises us every day on how much better she gets."

Yui's Soul Burst finally ceased, not unleashing the Finalé in time. However, they were almost to the front gate, and Asuna charged forward, unleashing all she had onto the remaining Heartless, ending with her own final attack, Meteor Strike, grabbing the nearest Fat Body Heartless, carrying it up with her with ease, before slamming it down towards the remaining Heartless, destroying all of them.

Asuna landed onto the ground with her legs spread out and one hand holding her up. She looked up as her eyes suddenly shined. She gasped as she suddenly felt herself fading from the reality of her surroundings.

* * *

When she came to, she found herself standing in darkness. Looking down, she suddenly realized she was actually within her own Station of Awakening. She recognized the circular, stain glass-looking platform she was on, with a picture of herself, in her KoB uniform, fast asleep, with her Lambent Light in her hand. The pictures of Kirito, Yui, Sora and Aqua surrounded her, with the picture of the sun setting over the water, with doves on either side.

"I know this place." Asuna muttered, "Why am I here?"

"Because I wanted to see you." Said a voice. Asuna turned around in surprise, and saw none other than Tifa Lockhart standing there. She was a physically fit and well-endowed girl, and a couple years older than Asuna. Her eyes were brown, and she had long, straight black hair, with long bangs reaching her chest. She was wearing a leather suit like the one she wore in Radiant Garden when they first met; a white tank top under a black zip-up vest, exposing a bit of her midriff, black overhauled shorts which folded at the waist, forming a utility pocket in the front and a short waist cape going to her heels in the back. She had black and white-soled combat shoes, with black laces. She wore a ribbon on her upper-left arm, and wore the same gloves Asuna wore during her Soul Burst form.

"Tifa?!" Asuna gasped, "What…how are you doing this?"

"Your connection with me grows stronger every time you use my soul in combat." Tifa explained, smiling, "It's great that you and I get to meet like this."

"Yeah…" Asuna agreed, "Sorry. This is a little disorienting. Gretinal never explained this to me before, so forgive me."

"It's okay. Still, I am glad you and I are growing closer." Tifa stated, "I hope our bond grows stronger and stronger as time goes on. You and I can have these sorts of conversations to get to know one another better."

"I would like that, Tifa." Asuna agreed, "I mean, we never did have a proper girl talk time back in Radiant Garden."

"Huh?" Tifa questioned, "I don't remember meeting you before. What's Radiant Garden?"

"Wait, what?" Asuna was now more confused, "That's the world where we met one another. We were in Ansem's castle. You were searching for Cloud, if I remember correctly."

"I do know Cloud, but I don't know about any of that." Tifa stated, "I'm from the planet Gaia, and Cloud was a childhood friend of mine. We worked together with others to fight against the Shinra Corporation and Sephiroth."

"That's weird…" Asuna muttered, scratching her chin, "I mean, I do know about Sephiroth. He was a real danger to my friends and I a long time ago. Still, something really doesn't add up."

Suddenly, the area around them started to shine slowly. "Looks like our time is up." Tifa noticed, "Maybe as our bond grows stronger, we can find out the reason to our different stories."

"Yeah. I'll kick butt until I see you in my heart again." Asuna responded, as the area became so bright, she could barely see Tifa or anything else around her.

* * *

When she came to, she found herself standing upright as she looked at the front gate ahead of her. She looked around at the scene, as the others joined her side.

"You okay, Asuna?" Sora asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm okay." She answered, "Anyways, let's keep moving."

Just then, the group heard the sounds of an explosion taking place from within the mansion. More specifically, they came from its' courtyard. "We'd better get a move-on!" Sora declared, "Who knows the damage that's going on in there!"

"Allow me!" Filo declared, and she made a dash to the front door, smashing through it with one talon kick. Everyone else raced along behind her as they made a mad dash to the courtyard.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the said courtyard, a group of Heartless, composed of Soldiers, Fat Bodies, and Bizarre Archers, surrounded an obelisk, where a small group of people was at, two of which were defending the others.

One was a young man with messy, spiky black hair, and green eyes. He had a metal chestplate, a thick leather armor underneath that, along with a black, long-sleeved, high-collared shirt. He had dark green pants with a black belt and a silver buckle, brown leather boots with white fur at the leggings, leather armor pieces with white fur trimming on his black gloves and upper legs. He also wore a green cape with white fur trimming that draped down to his ankles, fastened by a silver metal piece. On his right arm was a shield with a green jewel embedded into it.

The other person was a young lady, looking in her late teens. She was a Demi-human, with long brown hair, and bangs that went in levels, her longer bangs reaching her waist were fastened by gold hair bracelets. She had raccoon-like ears, and red eyes. She wore a red and dark brown combat skirt with puffy white long sleeves, a brown belt around her waist with a silver buckle, a red ribbon over her chest, and armor pieces covering her chest and right shoulder. Her fluffy brown tail was sticking out of a hole in her dress, which reached her knees. She wore long brown boots that reached her calves, with light brown flaps that inverted at the top. She had brown leather gloves, and silver metal cuffs on her wrists and upper arms, with the exception of her right wrist, which had a gold bracelet with a jewel embedded into it. She also carried a sword in her hands.

Standing behind them was a gentle-faced young man with black hair, and attire that fit a nobleman, though he was rather battered and bruised, like he was being tortured. He was carrying a bundled-up bag in his hands.

Another was a worn-down Demi-human boy, barely strong enough to keep himself up on his feet, with gray hair, dog-like ears and tail, and ragged clothing fit for a slave. There were a couple others like him, also wearing rags.

Standing behind the Heartless was a chubby nobleman with blonde hair, a pencil-thin mustache and a whip.

"That's it. We have them cornered." The chubby man snickered, holding up a familiar rosario on a silver necklace in his free hand, "Kill the Shield Demon and his party. End the existence of that sorry excuse of a nobleman as well!"

The shield-user, being Naofumi, growled as he looked to all the enemies. The girl, Raphtalia, couldn't help but glare daggers at the nobleman. For her, she resented this man with every bit of her being.

"I don't see an exiting point here." Naofumi muttered, "Damn it! If we just went and found Filo before this…"

"Master!" "Raphtalia!" A couple of young voices surprised the pair. The chubby nobleman turned to see the bird Filo with Melty on her back, as well as the six allies they gained surrounding them, getting into fighter's stance.

"Filo!" Naofumi gasped, shocked.

"Filo! And Princess Melty!" Raphtalia recognized them, relieved to see them alright.

"The princess?!" The nobleman exclaimed.

"Lord Idol Rabier." Melty addressed the chubby nobleman, hopping off of Filo's back, "Just what do you think you are doing?!"

"My dear princess, it is good to see you are alive and safe." The nobleman, Idol, greeted with a sneering grin, "I am merely ending the life of the Shield Demon and those who side with him. My pets and I will take care of him shortly."

"The Shield Hero has done nothing wrong! He never kidnapped me!" Melty argued, "These monsters are the real problem!"

"On the contrary, they are the solution." Idol retorted, holding his rosario up, "Demons they may look, but us followers of the Three Heroes' Church are allowed to use them to vanquish the Demon of the Shield and his heretic followers. If you choose to side with him, then you will be killed by them just the same."

Melty looked scared at his demented grin, until Sora patted her shoulder, causing her to look up to see his determined face as he answered, "We won't let that happen. Not to you, to Filo, or your friends!" Sora led the charge as the six heroes came at the charging Heartless.

"Who are they?" The boy asked Raphtalia, watching the six new faces as they took on the monsters.

"I don't know." She answered, looking to the Shield Hero as he asked, "Master Naofumi?"

"I'm just as clueless as you are." He answered, looking to see them take out the monsters one by one, "But they are fighting off the monsters, and were with Filo and Melty. Now the real question is if they are trustworthy."

Sora unleashed a Gale Strike, taking out a Fat Body, before seeing a couple of Bizarre Archers firing arrows at Naofumi's group. "Look out!" He called out, racing towards them. Naofumi saw it and raised his shield, repelling the shots with ease. A Soldier came along and tried to attack him, only for Raphtalia and Sora to arrive at the same time to slash the monster into pieces.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Sora asked them.

"Yes, thanks to your arrival." Raphtalia answered.

"Cool." Sora looked to Naofumi as he greeted, "I'm Sora. My friends and I came with Melty and Filo to save you."

"Really?" The raccoon girl asked, while Naofumi gave a suspicious glare at Sora. However with the swarm of Heartless about to come down on them, they didn't have time for a meet and greet. They instead had to focus on fighting off the swarm. "Can you please help protect Keel, Van and the others?" Raphtalia asked Sora, glaring at Idol. She took off in a flash.

"Hey, wait!" Sora cried out, but it was too late. Raphtalia was making her charge towards the pig nobleman, who saw her coming. She was slashing all the Heartless that got in her path, though got stopped by a Choke-o-Break with a Soldier on its' back. Idol snickered as the Heartless launched its' head at Raphtalia with its elongated neck, striking her in the gut and making her fly.

"Raphtalia!" Naofumi shouted, as Goofy joined his and Sora's side.

Asuna raced to her and caught her before she fell on her back. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" She answered, recovering herself out of Asuna's hands.

"Keep focus on the Heartless." She told her, "We can get to that man afterwards, okay?"

"Yeah…" she replied.

Kirito, Yui and Donald made sure to stay close to Melty, while Filo was making her way over to Asuna and Raphtalia. "There's still a whole ton of them to get through." Kirito grimaced.

"Hey, why don't the three of us unleash an attack together?" Donald suggested.

"You mean like how you, mama and Goofy did on Mount Olympus?" Yui asked, recalling the Trinity Guard technique.

"Worth a shot." Kirito replied, "let's do it!"

Kirito and Yui placed a hand on Donald's shoulder each, while Donald flipped his staff upside down, stabbing the head into the ground. Kirito and Yui grasped the handle of the staff, while Donald held it with both, channeling their magic into the staff, making it glow a golden aura and grow to twice its length, causing the trio to be lifted off the ground, with Kirito and Yui holding onto Donald and the staff.

They began using Donald's staff like a pogo stick, bouncing up and down around the field of battle, causing magical shockwaves with every bounce, which knocked Heartless back. The shockwaves magically also didn't harm the heroes, who were amazed at the new three-team attack, known as Trinity Bounce.

In their last bounce, Donald, Yui and Kirito made one last huge bound, releasing their grip of the staff as they did a midair flip together, before grasping the staff with three pairs of hands, and slamming the staff into the ground, creating a wide area explosion of magic sparks that struck any remaining Heartless, destroying them.

Idol was now backed into the corner. In all the commotion, he found himself with his back to the obelisk, while everyone was surrounding the fat nobleman. Raphtalia stood in the front, her sword in her hand, her tail fluffed out in rage, and her eyes shadowed as she made her way towards Idol.

"Back off, you miserable Demi-human!" He barked, cracking his whip at her, striking her leg. It didn't seem to faze her.

"Raphtalia!" Filo cried out, but Naofumi raised his hand to block her from going forward. Sora looked to him, then to Raphtalia. She continued her calm walk towards him, who struck her again and again with the whip. It did not faze her, even as one strike cut her cheek. She instead slashed the whip out of Idol's hand, spun around, and stabbed him in the shoulder. He squealed in pain from this as he fell to the floor.

"Spare my life! Have mercy on me!" Idol blubbered in a panic, fearing the Demi-human before him.

"So many Demi-humans begged to you in the exact same way." Raphtalia retorted, glaring at him with tears falling from her eyes, "But it wasn't enough! Even my best friend, Rifana…you killed her without hesitation, in that underground prison of yours!"

Suddenly, Idol eyes' suddenly lit up, realizing something. "You…you were one of my enslaved villagers! You were one of them?!"

Raphtalia pulled her sword from his shoulder, causing him more pain. She raised it high, about to strike down upon him. However, a hand grasped her weapon arm, stopping her. Raphtalia looked, realizing it wasn't her master, but Kirito, who stopped her from making the final blow.

"What are you doing?" She questioned him, struggling to break free from his grasp, "This man committed so many atrocities! I could never forgive this man!"

"I'm not saying you should." Kirito argued, "But killing him isn't the answer. I can't imagine how you feel, but I know what it feels like to hate someone from torturing a person in front of you, even ones I loved. He will be justified for his actions, but not by sinking ourselves to his level. It won't revive your friend, and it won't bring you closure. Let him wallow and atone for his actions, but not like this."

Raphtalia looked to Kirito's expression. His face told her all; He had dealt with his own rage against others. Something about him almost reminded her of Naofumi. He has been hurt, he had hated, but he knew what was clearly the right thing to do despite of all of it. She chose not to struggle anymore against Kirito's grip. Sensing the intent to kill disappear from her, Kirito released his grip, and she lowered her blade away from Idol.

As Naofumi watched the scene, several things went through his mind. One was that Kirito was absolutely right. Death was too good for this nobleman. However, his mind also questioned what the motives were behind this. Did they not want him killed because of what they said, or because they were trying to protect the nobleman? They may have brought Filo and Melty back to them safely, but were they really on their side?

As everyone's gaze was upon Kirito and Raphtalia, the grimaces of Idol drew their attention back to him as he pushed himself up with his back to the obelisk behind him. "You damn Demi-humans, nor any of you scum, should be allowed to live after today! I will make sure of that!"

He turned to the obelisk and raised his rosario high, chanting, "I ask for the power to bring judgement upon that demon!" The obelisk started to glow with blue sparks. A large, yellow magic circle appeared on the ground. Everyone backed off as they felt the intense magical energy.

"What are you doing?!" Reichnott exclaimed, drawing the attention of the heroes to him, "That stone monument is a seal that was made by the heroes of the past to lock away a monster too powerful for them to destroy!"

The magic seal faded away, as the ground around the obelisk suddenly broke apart. Idol turned to the group as he declared, "I should have used this from the start! I shall cleanse the world of you! The Shield Demon, the Demi-humans, and all the heretics! I shall use the power of the ancient demon sealed within to remove the impurities of this world!"

Something rose out of the ground. From their viewpoint, they saw it was a massive, T-Rex-looking monster, with jagged teeth, a large horn on its snout, stubby arms, feet slightly larger than bird Filo, black spikes going down the spine of its back, and a lizard-like tail, with bumps on it that pulsed with a sort of electrical energy. It was a sickly dark green and brown, with yellow lines around where the appendages met the body. Its' spiral yellow eyes, along with a familiar emblem on its' chest, told the six otherworlders the truth about this monster.

"A Heartless?!" Sora gasped.

"It was sealed here?!" Kirito questioned.

Yui analyzed the monster with her device, before answering, "It's called the Tyrantragon! It's large size and thick skin has made it tough to take down, even as it barrels through almost anything without flinching! What's more, its relentlessness is even stronger than its skin!"

"That doesn't sound good." Kirito understood, as the Heartless roared at the group.

"Now, go!" Idol ordered the beast, "If I can take down the Shield Demon, I shall be eternally bless by God!" As he cackled, the Heartless glared at the group as it raised one foot, and slammed it down upon Idol, killing him without even the slightest thought. It looked as if it didn't even notice him there from the start.

"What do we do now?!" Donald squawked in a panic.

"If that thing runs amock, who knows what kind of damage it will do!" Melty stated.

"Yeah. This mansion is already in the middle of town." Asuna added, "We can't have it harm the citizens!"

"This isn't right!" Melty muttered, looking to the feet of the monster, where Idol had been crushed, "He was the lord of this domain, and he released the seal just to get at Naofumi?!"

"What else is new?" The Shield Hero scoffed, looking to the others, "We have to find a way to draw its attention and fast!" As he said this, the Tyrantragon opened its jaws wide, and nearly chomped onto the group. They all avoided the straight-up attack, and kept their distance.

"We'd better split up on this one!" Kirito told the group, looking to Naofumi, "You take your party and get out of here! We'll draw its' attention to us!"

"You sure?" The Shield Hero asked, "It looks pretty tough."

"We're just gonna lead it out of town, so we can fight it without causing harm to the citizens." Kirito stated.

Naofumi still wasn't sure about them, but Melty assured him, "It's okay, Naofumi. These people saved Filo and I from another monster like it. We can trust them."

"I can take these children away from here, and join my people." Reichnott added, indicating the slaves.

Raphtalia looked worried as she looked to the young Demi-human named Keel, who was still very weak. "It's okay, Raphtalia." He assured her, "You go. You're with the Shield Hero's party, after all."

After a moment's pause, the raccoon girl nodded as she said, "Right. I'll leave him in your care, Van Reichnott."

"Leave it to me. I will keep them safe." He replied, taking the slaves and Keel with him.

Naofumi, Raphtalia and Melty hopped onto Filo's back as the Shield Hero ordered, "Let's get moving!"

"Ready!" Filo answered, and she took off into town, trying to flee the monster.

"Okay…" Sora was satisfied to see everyone else make their escape, "Now we have to-." Suddenly, the Tyrantragon barreled right through the remaining six heroes, who avoided getting crushed by the feet of the monster. It had started pursuing Filo and the other, breaking through the mansion wall into town as it did so.

"Hey, come back here!" Donald shouted.

"It's going after them?!" Sora questioned.

"And here I thought our Keyblades would attract it." Kirito muttered.

"It must've been the nobleman!" Goofy assumed, "It did order it to kill Naofumi and the Demi-humans."

"Meaning it is targeting them!" Yui understood.

"We have to go after that monster before it causes more trouble!" Kirito declared, and they ran off after the Heartless, leaping through a hole it created in pursuit of it.

* * *

As they raced into the town, they saw the Heartless stop in an open plaza, open its' mouth, and unleash a large ball of electric energy at Filo and her passengers, who were hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Naofumi saw it coming, and got Filo to leap away from the attack, barely avoiding it as it damaged the house.

"If we don't do something about it, it'll destroy the town AND Naofumi's team!" Yui exclaimed.

Kirito examined the beast, seeing the electric bumps on its tail. "There! I bet destroying those bumps will weaken it." Kirito assumed, "Let's target those!"

"That's as good of a plan as any." Donald answered.

"Let's go!" Sora declared, charging in at the Tyrantragon. He unleashed a slam onto one of the bumps, drawing slight attention from the Heartless. It was further distracted when all the others struck the bumps along its tail. To get them away, it spun itself around, striking the group away to have them keep their distance.

It turned and readied itself to fire off another giant lightning ball. It shot it into the air, arcing itself towards Naofumi's party, who barely avoided the main blast. Thanks to the Shield Hero himself, they managed to avoid the shocking, though the shockwaves nearly threw them off course, almost throwing Melty off of Filo's back, had it not been for Raphtalia catching her.

"Leave them alone!" Sora shouted, switching to his Kingdom Key Keyblade, and pointing at the electric swells, " **Shotlock: Ragnarok!** " He fired a volley of light salvos, striking the swells in a peppering of attacks. The Tyrantragon roared, ceasing its' next attack.

"That distracted it." Kirito stated, "Let's keep attacking those swells! **Soul Burst: Cloud Strife!** " He summoned the soul of the said spiky-haired swordsman, transforming his Keyblade into the Buster Sword. He then hammered the sword down onto the swell that was being targeted the most. It suddenly exploded in an electrical burst, causing Kirito to be flung back, and the Heartless to roar in pain. He then flipped and skidded to a halt, noticing that the swell had now vanished, leaving black vapor to seep out of the spot.

"That did it!" Kirito declared.

"I see four more of them bumps on it!" Goofy counted.

"Then let's destroy all four of them!" Asuna declared, "Everyone, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Donald squawked in declaration, before they all charged in.

While the Tyrantragon was not looking at them, it was aware of the group fighting behind them. It swung with its tail, whether he did a spin to sweep them away, or even pounded the tail to the ground to create a shockwave. It even summoned up thunder balls from its' swells, which homed in on the heroes.

After the second swell was destroyed, the Heartless unleashed another thunder ball from his mouth, firing at Naofumi's party, who were near the edge of the city. Fortunately, the thunder ball was smaller, and it didn't travel as far, though it did cause damage to the town. Frustrated, the Heartless looked like it was ready to make a move, as it was sort of bouncing its' legs up and down, ready to leap up.

"It's gonna jump!" Donald noticed.

The others realized what it was gonna do; it wanted to get closer to get a clearer shot at Naofumi's group. Kirito and Asuna dashed forward, and struck both of its' legs with their swords, trying to stop it. It didn't seem enough, though.

"I got it!" Kirito shouted, unleashing his Soul Finalé, Meteorain, unleashing a storm of small meteors via magic down onto the pair of feet, causing enough damage for it to topple over, collapsing to its' side.

The moment Kirito landed to the ground, his eyes glowed, and his mind suddenly faded from existence.

* * *

Next thing he knew, he was standing on his own Station of Awakening, the circular, stain glass-like floor underneath him, which was mostly black and dark blue, with his full figure upon it, on one side, in his SAO uniform, fast asleep. The faces of Asuna, Yui, Sora, and Leafa were all near his own face, and the picture of Aincrad glowing in the dark sky was underneath.

"Why am I here?" Kirito asked, looking about the place, "What's going on?"

"Hey." Kirito suddenly noticed someone in front of him. He easily recognized him as Cloud Strife, the soul he was just using. He looked like how he did back in Hollow Bastion; He was lean, yet muscular, with spiky blonde hair. He wore a sleeveless, dark indigo shirt with a high collar, black baggy pants with silver buckles, and black combat boots with silver zippers. He had a thick black cloth that draped down from his waist to cover his left leg, with straps holding it up that crossed his chest. He had a black pauldron on his right shoulder, which had a silver wolf badge on it, a black detached sleeve going down his right arm, black bands on both lower arms and gloves. On his back was the Buster Sword.

"Cloud." Kirito greeted, "Long time, no see."

Cloud stood there, his arms crossed, and his eyes closed as he answered, "Sorry, but you must have me mistaken for someone else. This is our first time meeting."

Kirito looked confused as he asked, "What do you mean? You and I met before in Hollow Bastion, didn't we?"

"Sorry. Never heard of it." Cloud answered, looking up at him, "The first time I've met you was here. For some reason, I seem to know you name, and that you have been using my power."

"Is…that a problem?" Kirito asked, confused about the whole situation.

"I'm a SOLDIER. We're made to fight, and it's what I have been doing all my life. I have no problem, especially since I can't fight for you."

"Right…" Kirito understood, "Well, I do know you. However, I can feel that you're…different from the Cloud I know."

"How so?" Cloud asked.

"I'm not really sure." Kirito answered, "It…sort of like your being gives off a different vibe. The Cloud I knew was searching for another guy. Someone named Sephiroth. Know him?"

Cloud unfurled his arms as he looked a bit interested, saying, "I know him. He's…" But before he could finish this, the area started to brighten up slowly. They looked about as Cloud stated, "I guess I can tell you next time, when we meet again."

"Hold on!" Kirito answered, about to reach out to him. However, everything turned white, and his mind faded once more.

* * *

Next thing he knew, he was standing right in the exact spot, in the exact time where he left off.

"Let's target his tail, now!" Sora declared, charging to the said body part.

"Kirito, let's go!" Asuna called out.

"R-Right!" Kirito responded, seeing Goofy and Yui pass him, before moving with Donald as they went towards the swells on the tail, reverting back to normal state as they continued. Their combined effort managed to destroy two more of its' swell, with only one more to go.

The Tyrantragon got back up onto its' feet again, finally turning to face the group. It roared in rage of how they kept interfering. "We finally got its' undivided attention!" Asuna stated.

"We still need to take care of the last swell!" Kirito pointed out.

The Tyrantragon bent itself down, and opened its' jaws wide, charging up a thunder ball within. However, this time, it was aiming for the six of them.

"This doesn't look good!" Sora exclaimed.

"What do we do?!" Yui cried.

"I know what to do, guys!" Goofy declared, "Throw me at 'em!"

"Brilliant!" Sora answered, joining his partner's side, unleashing their combined attack, Goofy Bombardier, with Goofy pushing himself and Sora into the air, before Sora tossing Goofy straight down at the upper jaw of the monster, the impact forcing it shut, and for the thunder ball in its' mouth causing an internal backlash, which made it collapse to the ground.

"Nice one!" Asuna cheered as she, Kirito and Yui all charged towards the tail of the monster, aiming for the last swell.

"Now it's our turn!" Kirito declared, as the other three unleashed Fire, Blizzard, and Whirlwind spells at the swell. Kirito then charged up his magic into his Keyblade, leapt up at it, and brought down a Flamestrike onto it. The burning shockwaves from his Elemental strike shot upwards, as the last swell exploded in an electrical burst, counteracting the force of Kirito's attack. The two discharges canceled one another, leaving Kirito standing on top of the tail.

"We did it!" Donald cheered.

"It's not over yet!" Asuna warned him. Sure enough, the Heartless rose to its' feet again, throwing off Kirito with a swipe of his tail. He tumbled along the ground, but flipped midway through onto his feet and skidded to a halt. All six heroes were surrounding the Heartless, who straightened itself out, before roaring at the group, scaring Donald and Yui in the process.

"This guy is tough!" Asuna stated.

Sora looked about the place, before telling the group, "We can't stay here! The city will be in danger if we fight it here!"

"Good point!" Kirito understood, "Let's make a run for it!" He quickly wall-ran up to the rooftops, waiting as Asuna and Sora joined him.

" **Soul Burst: Yuna!** " Yui cried out, transforming her Keyblade into a summoning staff, before summoning out Valefor onto the battlefield. She had Donald and Goofy climb aboard, before Valefor took off just as the Tyrantragon tried to chomp down on top of them. Donald and Goofy panicked as they held on for dear life.

"Let's head out of here!" Sora declared, running along the rooftop, with Kirito and Asuna at his side, while the other three flew high above. The Heartless roared at them, before pounding the building with its' body, breaking it apart. He was gonna pursue them with everything it had.

* * *

Within ten minutes after this moment, Naofumi's party had recently arrived at a lake in the middle of a forest, catching their breath after dealing with all the monsters.

"Okay, mind telling us who those guys were?" Naofumi asked Filo and Melty.

"Yeah, and where were you guys? We hadn't seen you since that attack separated us!" Raphtalia added.

"We got captured by a monster, but Sora, Kirito, Asuna and their friends all saved our lives." Melty explained.

"They even helped us get away from that mean princess and those other dumb heroes!" Filo added.

"They did?" Raphtalia responded, looking a bit surprised.

"Wait, were you saying they were there with the other heroes and that bitchy princess?" Naofumi questioned them, looking suspicious.

"Yes…" Melty answered, starting to realize what Naofumi really meant. He was really wondering whether they were actually with those guys or not.

Just then, the group heard a roar, along with the sound of trees toppling over at an alarming rate. Something large was coming their way. They looked to the forest that they had gone through, and heard the sounds of panicked screaming. In a few seconds, Kirito, Asuna and Sora all shot out of the forest, with Yui flying overhead with Donald and Goofy. They came to a halt when they saw the group.

"Guys!" Sora exclaimed.

"Oh, no…" Kirito grimaced.

"Are you okay?" Filo asked, as Yui landed onto the ground, dropping Donald and Goofy off of Valefor.

"We are. But…" Asuna started, only for the trees to break apart to reveal the Tyrantragon appearing out of the forest, roaring at them. "We might've accidentally drawn the Heartless over to you guys without realizing where any of us were really going." Asuna finished, looking up at it.

"I'm sure you didn't." Naofumi sarcastically stated, feeling they led it here on purpose.

"At least we got it out of town." Goofy pointed out.

"Right. Now we can finish it off!" Kirito declared, just as it roared and stomped the ground, creating a shockwave around it. This caused the group to split up to avoid the attack, with mixtures of the six heroes and Naofumi's party divided amongst the field.

"Keep yourselves in pairs! Support each other in this fight!" Asuna ordered everyone, as she found herself near Raphtalia, adding, "You okay with me?"

"Sure." She answered, looking to Naofumi, who had Sora close to him, while Donald and Melty were close to each other, that they chose to team up. This also left Kirito with Goofy, and Filo with Yui, who used a Soul Recovery to replenish her Soul Burst longevity, ready to keep fighting with Valefor. With their pairings set, they charged forward at the Tyrantragon.

Now that it was an open field instead of a town square, the Heartless had a lot more room to move. Not to mention it was paying attention to everyone, and not just Naofumi's party. The biggest problem, however, was the toughness of its' body. No matter what they did, nor how much damage they unleashed, the beast didn't flinch, nor show any signs that their attacks were doing a heck of a lot. Instead, it swiped with its tail, chomped ferociously at the group, stomped with its feet or hammered with its tail to create shockwaves, and unleashed minor thunder balls from its' mouth, though they were no longer as strong as they were before.

Meanwhile, everyone else was doing their best in fighting as pairs. Kirito and Goofy were focusing on the melee on their end, while Asuna and Raphtalia were using their speed to deal quick strike on their side. Donald and Melty were unleashing magic from a distance, and Yui and Filo were more focused on aerial techniques. As for Sora and Naofumi, they were the least coordinated, though it was mostly due to Naofumi's slight distrust in the six that were aiding them.

Even so, the Shield Hero's capabilities were amazing, with strong defense, and abilities such as the Air Strike Shield, which produced an energy shield he could use as both defense, or even offense by sending it at the Heartless. He even used it as a platform, as he used for Filo and Sora.

Yui and Valefor pushed Filo off in the air for her to hammer beak-first into the head of the Heartless, before Yui ordered Valefor to unleash her Soul Finalé, Energy Nova, creating a magic circle, before blasting down a powerful ray of energy. The attack looked like it finally caused a reaction to the Heartless, who roared in pain.

"Yes!" Yui cheered, only for her to suddenly feel something, as she felt herself fade from the reality of the battle.

* * *

When she next appeared, she was standing in the middle of the black area, on top of her own Station of Awakening. It was pink and white, with a picture of her in her simple white dress, curled up and fast asleep. There were dew-drop tears and flowers patterning on the exterior rings of the Station of Awakening. Picture of Asuna, Kirito, and Sora's faces were near her own face on the picture. Underneath her figure was a picture of the log cabin in the woods in Aincrad.

"What…is this place?" She asked, looking about. She had never experienced being within a Station of Awakening before, so she wasn't sure what this place really was.

"Hello, Yui." Greeted a young lady's voice. Yui turned at the voice, seeing the young lady before her. She looked somewhere between her mid to late teens, with shoulder-length brunette hair, and heterochromia eyes; meaning her left eye was blue, while her right was green.

Her attire was very similar to what Yui wore back when she first started fighting alongside everyone else. She wore a white sash that wrapped around her chest and neck, with a black camisole underneath. She wore an obi with flora pattens, a large knot in the back, and a decorative obidome to clinch the cords. She had on a long, purple pleated, flower-patterned skirt that reached her ankles, black boots, detached kimono-like sleeves that went from white to pink, held by purple cords at the upper arms. She also wore a long earring on her right ear, which mostly consisted of blue beads, a silver necklace with a hibiscus flower, a silver ring on her middle finger on her left hand, and a pair of bracelets on her right wrist.

"Hello?" Yui greeted, "Who are you?"

"Oh…right. I guess we never introduced ourselves to one another." The young lady realized, "My name is Yuna. I'm the soul you made a pact with."

"Oh, so you're Yuna?!" Yui realized, recalling the same person she met in Radiant Garden long ago, "But…the last time I remembered you, you were so small, like a pixie, like me."

"Huh?" Yuna looked confused, "I don't remember meeting before, and I know I have never been small like that."

"Hmm…" Yui paused to think about it, then realized, "Oh, yeah. Mistress Gretinal did say something about how you were part of a different life of the one I met before. So maybe that explains why you don't remember."

"That is rather confusing." Yuna pointed out.

"It is hard to wrap my head around." Yui admitted, "But it is still nice to finally meet you, Ms. Yuna."

"Please, just call me Yuna." The summoner giggled, "I'm amazed, though. You are so young and kind, I can't help but feel bad for someone of your age to be fighting so much."

"It is something I chose to do." Yui agreed, "I want to help my mama and papa any way I can. I don't want to be just standing on the sidelines when I know I can do more to help them, along with everyone else."

Yuna looked down, smiling as she stated, "I can understand that feeling. I, too, wished to help others in their time of need. That was why I went on my pilgrimage a long time ago, choosing to help everyone in my world, and knowing the sacrifice I was gonna have to make at the end of it."

"Sacrifice?" Yui echoed.

Before this conversation could continue, the area started to become brighter. "It seems our time is up, for now." Yuna understood.

"For now?" Yui asked, "Hold on! What's happening?!"

"Our conversation will continue in the near future, when you further our bond." Yuna told her, "I hope you and I see each other again." And with that, everything was white.

* * *

Yui suddenly found herself back in reality once more, still on Valefor…for the first second. However, before she got her head back in the game again, her Soul Burst was used up, and she reverted back to normal, her steed disappearing underneath her. She panicked as she fell to the ground, only to be caught by Filo, who followed her flight through with a kick to the Tyrantragon's head. They bounced off the head of the beast, before landing onto the ground.

"You okay, Yui?" Filo asked.

"Yes, I am." She answered, "I just had a rather strange experience."

"Heads up!" Naofumi shouted, as Kirito and Goofy saw the Heartless swing its tail towards the four of them. Kirito leapt upwards, along with Yui and Filo, while Goofy tried to block the attack, only to get sent flying in pain.

"Goofy!" Sora cried out, seeing him fall to the ground, dazed from the attack.

"We can't seem to do anything to this Heartless!" Asuna grimaced, as she and Raphtalia tried to slash the dinosaur-like beast, only for the attack not to do any damage.

"What else can we do?!" Donald asked.

"I've got no choice…" Naofumi growled, "I have to use my Rage Shield!"

"Huh?" Sora questioned, watching him as he prepared his shield in front of him, before growling with anger, preparing himself as his shield suddenly transformed in dark flames, right before their eyes, into an ominous-looking kite shield, which was dark silver, with red shapes that looked like raging flames around and a red gem in the middle.

The moment he wielded this shield, rage pulsated from him. Sora could feel it, and did not like the feel of it at all. "What going on with him?!" Donald questioned.

"Oh, no…" Raphtalia saw him in that form.

"What is that?!" Asuna questioned.

"That's the Rage Shield." Raphtalia answered, "Master Naofumi has used that shield a few times, and while it is powerful, it has almost sent him into an uncontrollable rage!"

"I bet that's the shield those other heroes mentioned." Kirito understood.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked, approaching Naofumi.

"Stay back!" He snapped at Sora, who looked startled. The Shield Hero glared daggers at Sora. His distrust in them was amplified thanks to the Rage Shield's emotional effect.

Sora looked concerned, as did Donald and Melty near him. However, Sora didn't waver as he stated, "I get you don't trust us, just yet. But that doesn't mean I won't stop from helping. We're here to help, and that's it."

Naofumi's gaze on Sora was less villainous, and more surprised for a moment. Then suddenly, he felt his shield was starting to act weird. All of a sudden, it's dark energy suddenly seeped out in black and red streams, and enveloped Sora in a spherical form, surprising them. Everyone watched as Sora looked at it, feeling the rage starting to grow stronger and stronger, until the darkness entered into him, and his body stiffened as he roared and bursted with dark energy, taking on a new form. His entire body was black, the aura of darkness emanating off of him. He had red eyes, and flaming white patterns on his pants, coat, and hood. He held his Keyblade aloft in his right hand.

Naofumi was shocked, especially when he noticed his Rage Shield had suddenly reverted to his normal Legendary Shield once more. He looked to see Sora charged forward at the Tyrantragon, who saw him coming and chomped at him. He came in with an uppercut slash with not his Keyblade, but his hand, unleashing a dark energy from it. The attack did not cancel out Tyrantragon's attack, and Sora got knocked back. However, he flipped to his feet very quickly, teleporting towards the head of the Heartless, and unleashing fast slashes from his Keyblade and hands, unleashing one attack after another.

"What's going on with Sora?!" Filo asked.

"I don't know completely, but it seems like Sora's underwent a dark form." Yui explained.

"It has happened before. Sora tried to get stronger by using his Drive Form, but ended up losing control in doing so, and entered into an Anti-form." Asuna continued.

"An Anti-form?" Raphtalia echoed, looking confused and scared at Sora.

"But this looks different." Kirito analyzed, seeing Sora move fiercely about the Heartless, who tried to strike him with a shockwave from his feet, only for Sora to block with a dark aura, "He doesn't have the Drive Forms anymore, and the power seem to come from Naofumi's Rage Shield, too. This form of darkness is not an Anti-Form, but maybe…a Rage Form?"

"My shield caused him to be this way?" Naofumi asked, still startled at what came about.

Sora leapt up to avoid another shockwave, and summoned up a red crystal, which started to circle around his body, though it did weaken him. He charged forward, and slammed his Keyblade down at the ground at the feet of the Heartless, summoning up a pillar of darkness. The Tyrantragon responded with a jump that caused a shockwave that sent Sora flying. He looked worn out, and was on the brink of being defeated, while the Heartless was still strong and barely any different from when they started the fight.

"Shouldn't we stop him?!" Melty asked, "He looks like he's out of control!"

"I don't know how!" Donald responded. Kirito and Asuna also thought hard on what to do to help him.

"I can stop him, and the beast…" a young female voice spoke up, surprising everyone in the field. They looked around as a mist started to form around them. However, from the mist, the group could feel an intense amount of magic energy. Something was coming.

Raphtalia's ears perked up, as did Goofy's, who had now recovered. "Somethin's coming." Goofy pointed out.

"It's coming from the forest!" Raphtalia pointed out, looking to the said forest.

Suddenly, from the forest, came a multitude of what looked like long-legged birds, which looked like smaller, skinnier versions of Filo. They started to come out one after another, forming a wide circle around the field where everyone stood.

"It's a bunch of filolials!" Melty realized, while Donald looked about the place.

The Tyrantragon was glaring at Sora, who stood in between it and Naofumi, ready to fight, but holding himself steady as he looked about. From the looks of it, Sora did seem to have a good amount of control in this form, though it was hard to tell.

"What the hell is this?" Naofumi asked, as everyone from all other sides of the battlefield joined him, Melty and Donald. He looked down at his shield, trying to do something, but based on his expression, it wasn't working. "I can't access my Rage Shield."

"Please do not resort to that power." The female voice spoke up again.

"Who's saying that?" Kirito asked.

"Look! In the water!" Yui exclaimed, pointing to the lake behind them. They looked around, and saw something large was rising out of the water. Then, in one tremendous bound, the being that rose out flew over them, landing on the ground to the side of where everyone stood. They were all startled at the sight of someone that looked like a filolial like Filo, though way, WAY larger than she. She had blue and yellow plumage amongst the pure white feathers she had.

"Woah!" Almost all of them gasped at the sight of the massive bird.

"No way! It's the filolial queen!" Melty exclaimed.

"That's the queen?!" Asuna questioned in shock.

The filolial queen raised her wing to the group, saying, "Stand back. I shall handle this beast. But first…" She looked down to Sora, who was staring up at her with his red eyes. She raised her wings up, summoning a magic circle. Suddenly, the magic circle shrank and flew above Sora, before descending down his body to the ground. All at once, Sora's Rage Form vanished, reverting back to normal. He looked at himself, panting from exhaustion at using that form.

"She…removed the darkness from Sora!" Kirito realized.

"But how?!" Asuna asked.

The filolial queen looked from Sora to the Tyrantragon. "Now, as for you…" She then suddenly vanished, moving so fast, she created a sonic boom that nearly blew everyone off their feet. She then reappeared right on the other side of the Tyrantragon, who stood there for a moment, before collapsing to the ground, fading into a dark mist. In one fell swoop, it was effortlessly defeated.

"She took that Heartless out…like it was nothing!" Yui stated, everyone shocked, amazed or just plain petrified at what had happened.

The giant bird turned to the group, particularly at Naofumi, as she asked, "I take it you are the Shield Hero."

"That's right…" Naofumi answered, hesitantly.

"Just a moment. I shall speak to all of you in a more suitable form." She told them, folding her wings. She shined a blue glow, as her entire body shrunk down to a humanoid form. She unfurled her wings, which were like those of an angel at this point, to reveal her appearance.

She looked as young as Melty or Yui, with silver hair with streaks of light blue, styled in a medium-length bob cut, and three golden cowlicks on top. Her eyes were soft, with a red hue. Her dress was a very elegant and frilly gothic-lolita style, mainly white, with pink and magenta hues, gold and magenta straps holding it on her shoulders, and a deep magenta ribbon on her chest. Her boots were silk-like, white, with pink trimmings.

"Allow me to introduce myself." She greeted the group, "I am the queen of all filolials. My name is Fitoria." The group seemed just at awe with the appearance of such a young yet powerful character.

* * *

After the introduction between Fitoria, Naofumi's party, and Team Keybladers, they boarded a royal carriage, which teleported them to what looked like the remains of a ruined city, taken over by the forest. According to Fitoria, it was a city formerly protected by the previous generation of heroes, and it was a place prohibited by anyone else other than filolials to enter.

As they all exited the carriages and looked about, Fitoria looked to Sora, Kirito and Asuna as she pointed out, "I am rather surprised, though. It has been a very long time since I've seen the Heartless appear in this world, or wielders of that weapon appear to stop them."

This bit of news surprised the trio, as well as the other three, as Sora asked, "You know about the Keyblade? And you've met others who used them?!"

Fitoria looked down for a moment, before answering, "It has been a very long time since I have met one. I believe that person was around the same time as when the previous heroes were here. That person appeared out of nowhere, Keyblade at hand, as they stopped the Heartless from spreading. They even assisted in sealing away that draconic Heartless."

"I see…" Kirito understood. From what he assumed, and based on their experience, that Heartless was far too powerful for them to handle back then, and was almost too powerful to deal with now, had it not been for the filolial queen.

"So was this Keyblade wielder a hero?" Melty asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I would assume so." Fitoria answered, "The power that person wielded was unlike any of this world. I could only assume they were from a world beyond this one, and were granted the power of a legendary weapon, like all other heroes."

"Seriously?" Naofumi questioned in surprise, looking to the six allies he made, "Does that mean you guys are not from this world, either?"

"Um…" "Well…" Asuna and Sora looked hesitant, looking to the others, who weren't entirely sure. Telling others about other worlds was strictly prohibited, as it could cause an unbalance in the world's order. However, since people did come from other worlds, and were natives here, this caused a bit of a dilemma on whether it was okay or not to tell the truth. They did need to gain their trust, especially since Naofumi was not one that could take lying well.

Whether this was fortunate timing, or misfortune, their conversation was interrupted by a group of monsters appearing around them. However, they were not Heartless, but…

"Nobodies!" Goofy exclaimed, as the six readied their weapons.

"But how?" Fitoria questioned, looking about.

"Dusks, Creepers, and Berserkers!" Yui analyzed.

Kirito looked to the Berserkers, recognizing them, along who usually was around when they appeared, and stated, "He's here…" he looked to the Shield Hero and his party as he ordered, "Naofumi, you and your party stay back! Everyone, let's go!"

The six heroes went to work handling the Nobodies, which were abundant. The group was already worn from fighting so much since the mansion, so dealing with the tricky Nobodies was a bit harder than usual. Still, they persevered as best as they could, overcoming the Nobodies. Naofumi basically was on defense for Raphtalia, Filo and Melty, while Fitoria effortlessly defeated any Nobodies that even dared to try to attack her. Within moments, the area was clear.

Once things were done, Naofumi looked to Fitoria and stated, "Hey, I thought this place was forbidden by outsiders!"

"It is. However, those monsters were of a species I have never seen before." She answered.

"Well, I know who sent them." Kirito responded, looking around, "Saïx! I know you're out there! Show yourself!"

Suddenly, a Corridor of Darkness opened up in front of the group, and out came the very man Kirito called out. He looked the same as ever, with the exception of one thing; yellow eyes, exactly like Xehanort's. He, too, was another of his vessels.

"You seem to be aware of all the signs of my presence, Kirito." Saïx told the black swordsman.

"After our last encounter, I made sure to get all the signs memorized." Kirito stated, pointing to his temple, "Just following through with words from someone we both know." He did know the man's connection to Axel.

Saïx closed his eyes and huffed, deciding to use his statement as he retorted, "Then you should memorize your duty, as a Guardian of Light. For as I can see, you are doing the complete opposite of what should be done."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Donald demanded.

Fitoria stepped up as she declared, "These grounds are not for you to be present on. I demand that you leave at once."

"Apologies, your majesty." Saïx responded, "I am only here to seek out the one who is responsible for the darkness consuming this land." He looked to Naofumi at this statement, who glared back without hesitation.

"Naofumi is not the one causing the Heartless to attack people around here!" Asuna barked at him, "Why are you causing everyone to believe he is responsible?!"

"Because the Heartless are responding to his rage and detest at this kingdom." Saïx pointed out, "The darkness in his heart is deep, and his hatred towards this world is strong. And yet, you choose to protect him, rather than stopping him."

"Hey, I may hate this damn kingdom, especially the trash king and bitch princess, but I didn't ask for those damn monster to attack it!" Naofumi argued, "I didn't even know about them until recently, and they have been attacking me and my party just as much as anyone else, so why are you singling me out!"

"He's right!" Sora agreed, "Naofumi's a great guy. I can tell because of what Filo and Melty say about him. How could someone who cares for his friends like that truly be the one causing all of this?"

"And yet, you tasted first-hand the rage in his heart, Sora." Saïx pointed out, causing Sora to stop and think about the moment he entered his Rage Form, "That kind of darkness consuming his heart will only get stronger in a world that detests his existence. You claim yourselves as Guardians of Light, and yet you choose to protect this boy and his darkness. If that is not irony, then I don't know what is."

"Master Naofumi has be unjustly accused of so many things, but he has done so much good for so many people, as well!" Raphtalia defended, "He saved my life, taught me how to fight, and helped me learn to protect others, and be a sword for him when he needs it. Yes, he may have rage in his heart, but I will stand by his side, all the same, burdening the rage he has, because I know he's a good person!"

"Absolutely! I will always stay by Master's side, as well!" Filo added.

"And I shall defend his name until he is cleared of these false accusations." Melty finished.

Naofumi looked to his party, pleased at all the defense he was getting. He then heard Kirito speak up as he stated, "Darkness is not just used by those of evil intentions. Sometimes, darkness is used to protect the light. I have seen people do just that, and are able to control the darkness within them, without letting it consume them. I bet on my life that Naofumi is exactly that kind of person. He is not the villain here."

"So you say a wielder of darkness can defend the light." Saïx stated, "Then tell me, Guardians of Light, should a wielder of light choose to use its' power to protect the darkness, would you extinguish that light?"

"What are you trying to say?" Asuna questioned him.

Saïx chuckled as he opened up another Corridor of Darkness, finishing up with, "I only am curious if you decide whether you believe all light is needed to be defended, just as all darkness needs to be destroyed. Think about what your role is." He walked into the Corridor, and disappeared from sight, along with the darkness, leaving them alone.

"Who was that guy?" Naofumi asked, approaching the six.

"Someone who's part of a group that we fight against." Kirito explained, "He's also the one making everyone believe you're responsible for the Heartless, even making us accomplices to you."

"Really?" Naofumi asked, looking at the spot where he left. He paused for a moment, then he said, "Well, I guess that really means you guys are not with that bitch princess and those three idiot heroes."

"You know, calling the princess that is a bit harsh…" Sora stated, looking a bit disturbed by the word 'bitch'.

"Just calling her like she is." Naofumi stated without any remorse.

"You'll have to forgive Sora. He's not use to hearing such foul language." Asuna apologized.

"Nor us." Goofy admitted, indicating himself and Donald.

Suddenly, a pair of stomachs growled. Filo and Yui both held their stomachs as the latter stated, "I'm getting hungry."

"Perhaps you should rest here for a little while." Fitoria told them.

"Good idea. This evening went on forever!" Sora grimaced, stretching his arms.

"As long as no more Heartless or Nobodies appear, we should be good." Kirito stated.

"Then let's make something to eat." Naofumi suggested.

"Sure, I can help." Asuna told him, getting excitable cheers from Donald, Yui and Sora.

For a while, the group went to search and gather ingredients for a stew. Asuna basically became the head chef, guiding everyone in making the stew right. Raphtalia and Donald gathered up firewood to make a fire. Goofy, Yui and Melty found a well to get some water. Kirito, Sora and Filo were able to search for the ingredients. This left Naofumi helping Asuna with chopping up the ingredients, making sure they were good for the stew.

While making the food was easy, the big challenge ended up being when filolials started to gather. And based on their expressions, they looked really hungry. While Naofumi was against it, at first, Asuna decided that it was okay for them, since Kirito, Sora and Filo did bring back a lot more ingredients than what they needed for their group. Fortunately, the birds were smart enough to find more ingredients and large pots for them to use.

* * *

As Naofumi, Donald and Goofy helped serve the filolials, Kirito brought Sora, Asuna and Yui towards the interior of one of the ruined buildings, wishing to speak about something.

"What's up, Kirito?" Asuna asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the others.

"I actually wanted to make contact with Gretinal about something." Kirito stated, "During the fight against the Tyrantragon in town, I ended up having a weird experience when using my Soul Burst. Somehow, time just ended up stopping as I suddenly found myself within my own heart, speaking to Cloud's soul."

"Actually, the same was for me, as well." Asuna admitted, "I had that same experience on the bridge towards the mansion, where I ended up speaking to Tifa within my heart."

"I had the same experience, too. With Yuna." Yui added.

"You guys…spoke to their souls within you?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, that's why I want to speak to Gretinal about what had happened." Kirito stated, pulling out the communication crystal ball. However, before he could start, the orb glowed within his hands, and the hologram of Gretinal herself appeared before them.

"There's no need to ask. I already heard what you experienced." She told the group.

"Seriously?!" Asuna asked.

"Now I feel like you're just stalking us." Kirito stated in a bemused tone.

"I am only keeping tabs on your mission from time to time. This was one of those times." Gretinal innocently stated. Her statement didn't draw away the suspicions of the group, so she cleared her throat as she continued, "Anyways, about what you experienced, you may consider it a gift you gain from bonding with your Soul Pacts."

"A gift?" Asuna echoed.

"Yes. You see, while you gain the power of the souls to made pacts with, you are able to gain further power by using the souls, and bonding with them further."

"Yeah. Philia told us about that." Yui recalled, "There was powers we gain from using Soul Burst enough times, like Advance Burst and Soul Armament."

"Right. However, there's more to it than the power." Gretinal pointed out, "Soul Pacts do contain the powers of the people they came from. However, they are still souls, and do contain the memories and feelings of their previous owners. In other words, they are fragments of their hearts. So when your bond with the soul reaches a certain level, you are able to interact with them for a moment."

"Now I see." Asuna understood, "So what we experienced was the result of using our Soul Bursts with them a lot."

"Yes, but there's more." Gretinal continued, "When your bond with the soul reaches its maximum potential, you are freely able to interact with them any time you wish."

"Really?" Yui asked in awe.

"That's cool!" Sora exclaimed, "I'm pretty jealous."

"That sounds rather awkward, having a literal voice in your head that you speak with." Kirito muttered.

"No worries. You only can interact with them if you allow it." Gretinal assure him.

"Wait a minute." Asuna realized something, "Kirito and I already have our bond with Lightning and Snow at maximum potential. Does that mean we can speak with them?"

"You can. Call to them in your heart, and you can speak with their Soul Pacts." Gretinal instructed them.

Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, nodded in understanding, and closed their eyes, concentrating. Suddenly, both of them felt themselves fade from reality, as they both ended up on their own Stations of Awakening.

Asuna looked up, and saw Lightning standing there, looking the same as she did in Resolute Oasis. "It really worked!" Asuna gasped.

"It's about time we meet like this." Lightning told her, "I am quite surprised this can happen, but here we are."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kirito had the same reaction as Asuna, seeing Snow in front of him, as he greeted, "Yo, Kirito. Guess you can literally call this a bit of heart-to-heart with me."

"Yeah, that's true." Kirito admitted, "Man, this is pretty weird. I mean, I am speaking to you within me. I wonder how this is possible, or how much you remember."

* * *

"It was when I helped you awaken my soul within you." Lightning answered Asuna, who asked the same question, "Whatever my heart was like at the point of reawakening had now been transferred into the soul."

"In other words, your soul is basically updated with all the memories and feelings of what you were in Resolute Oasis." Asuna assumed.

"Exactly." Lightning answered.

* * *

"So basically, you and I can speak about anything that happened between then and now." Snow told Kirito, "Or if you need any sage advice from me, I'll lend you my support."

"Thanks. Well, at least that's something I can ask for if I need it." Kirito responded, "At least deep down, I know I have more than the people connected to my heart within me. I literally have the souls of others to help me forward."

"You got it!" Snow answered with bravado.

* * *

"In that case, if I need some help, I can ask you, or anyone else who's Soul Pact I fully connect with." Asuna told Lightning, "I should definitely create as many deep connections as I possibly can."

"With a power like this, it would be useful." Lightning told her. Asuna nodded in response, closed her eyes, and left the Station of Awakening.

The black and white Keyblade wielders reawakened in the presence, having just come back from meeting the two. "Did it work?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. I actually got to speak to Snow in my heart." Kirito explained.

"The same for me with Lightning." Asuna added, looking about, "Did any time pass?"

"Only a few seconds." Yui stated.

"Man, you guys are so lucky." Sora grimaced, "If I could do that, I would so like to speak to Roxas, right now. If he's still in my heart, I would like to at least speak to him again."

"You will." Gretinal assured him, "It will take time, and you still have to regain your Power of Waking once more. In the meantime, do what you can in the present, with the people around you. May your heart be your guiding key."

The phrase that the group heard a few times since the start of this journey rung in their minds and hearts, and they nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Gretinal." Kirito told the Master, "We'll keep in touch if we need any more explanations." Gretinal bowed in response, and her holographic image disappeared.

"We'd best head back to the others." Asuna told the group, looking to see Naofumi argue with a couple of filolials who were trying to get in front of one another to eat.

"Agreed. Let's help out." Yui stated, and they raced back out to help their friends.

* * *

Moments later, as the fire continued to go, the group had just finished feeding all the filolials. Fitoria was sitting far up on one of the ruined buildings. The rest of the group was enjoying their meals, with Donald, Filo and Melty chatting it up, the latter two enjoying watching the filolials interest in the anthropomorphic duck. Meanwhile, Goofy was gathering up dishes near where Yui, Raphtalia and Asuna were at.

"I can't thank you enough for saving Master Naofumi and I, along with Filo and Melty." Raphtalia thanked the two.

"It wasn't a problem." Asuna responded, "We were just glad we came at the right time."

"Speaking of, how are you feeling?" Yui asked, "You were very distressed back at the mansion."

Raphtalia looked a bit hesitant at her question, looking down at her empty dish as she answered, "I'll be fine. I just hope Keel and the others are doing okay."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Asuna assured her, patting her shoulder, "They had the entire village there to save their lord. I'm sure they are being protected and taken care of."

"Right…" Raphtalia muttered, thinking on what happened back then.

Asuna paused, wondering if the question she wanted to ask was gonna hurt her. Still, she took a chance, and asked, "So, about that Idol guy. Were you a slave to him?"

"When I was little, yes." She answered, "My parents died during one of the Waves of Catastrophe. After that, knights of Melromarc came to my village and kidnapped all the children, including me, and were placed into slavery. Idol purchased many of my friends and I, and tortured us for his pleasure. In the end, I saw my best friend, Rifana, die due to the torture and illness. I never thought I could ever find hope again, even as they sold me away from there, and off to a slave merchant.

"That's awful…" Asuna said sympathetically, "How long ago was that?"

"Actually, it was not that long ago." She answered, "I am actually over ten years old."

"Really? You look a lot older than that." Yui pointed out.

"Yeah. I mean, you look around my age." Asuna told her.

"Demi-humans actually age differently. We grow up in relation to what our level is." Raphtalia explained, "And all that leveling was thanks to Master Naofumi, who bought me from the slave merchant. He needed someone to help him fight, since he could only use a shield, and had no one else to turn to. He was rough, but he helped me gain the strength to fight. He fed me, healed me when I was ill, gave me a place to stay. I am very grateful for everything he's done for me. That is why I vow to be his sword, and to stand by his side, always."

She was looking to Naofumi at this time, who was speaking with Kirito and Sora, and he was actually starting to warm up to them a little. The admiration and happiness she showed on her expression was easily readable by Asuna, who smiled gently at her as she assumed, "So I take it you really like Naofumi, don't you?"

Realizing what she meant, Raphtalia blushed as she looked back at her, answering, "Well…I mean, I do like him a lot. He still treats me like a kid, but I do want to see me as the woman I have become. He's just…there's still a lot to take care of before I can do that."

"Still, I can definitely see you two together." Asuna pointed out, giving a slight cheeky grin, "And you definitely have charms and looks. I bet you'd just have to be a bit more forward with him on your feelings."

"Well…" Raphtalia now looked more embarrassed that the topic went along this path.

"Hey, maybe you should kiss Naofumi." Yui suggested, getting shocked looks from both girls.

"Y-Yui, that's a little TOO forward!" Asuna retorted.

"Besides, that's something I shouldn't do!" Raphtalia added, "I mean…if I kiss him, I'll get pregnant."

Asuna and Yui both looked to her, the former incredulously. "Really?" Yui asked, "That doesn't seem right. I mean, mama and papa kiss a lot, and they haven't made a little sister for me."

"Y-Yui!" Asuna squealed, finding the subject embarrassing and completely wrong at this time.

"Wait…are you saying that's NOT how you get pregnant?" Raphtalia asked Asuna.

"Well…I mean…" this was the last thing Asuna ever expected to speak at ANY point in this adventure, let alone to a person she had only became friends with. Not to mention that Yui was now involved in this rather uncomfortable conversation, as well.

"I am rather curious now." Yui stated, "Mama, where do babies come from?"

"I…well…" Asuna was grasping in her mind at how to phrase this to both of these young ladies, "I mean, kissing is involved, but there's more than that. There are certain other…things…that two people who love another do in order to have a child."

"What kind of things?" Raphtalia asked, nudging closer to her.

"Have you and papa ever done it?" Yui asked, also closing in on Asuna, pinning her between the two curious girls.

"W-Wait, hold on!" Asuna was flustered beyond belief, "I…it's rather embarrassing to talk about!"

"Why is that? Isn't giving birth to life important for the survival of people?" Yui asked, "It is an important subject to speak about."

"Th-That's true, but…" She noticed Goofy passing by, and cried out, "Goofy, help me out here!"

"Huh?" Goofy looked at them curiously, "What seems to be the problem?"

"We were only curious about how someone gets pregnant." Raphtalia explained, "But Asuna won't give us a straight answer."

"Do you know where babies come from?" Yui asked Goofy.

Goofy looked a little surprised, but he calmed himself and took on a more adult persona as he answered, "Now Yui, that's somethin' you shouldn't know about just yet. You're too young to have this kind of a discussion."

"Y-Yes, exactly!" Asuna saw an escape Goofy presented, "Yui, you're still a child, and this conversation is something you shouldn't have at your age. And Raphtalia, I don't think I'm the right person to give you a straight answer. I'm sorry."

"I understand. So there's an age limit to when someone is allowed to learn on how to give birth to life." Yui understood.

"I guess it is a rather embarrassing thing to speak about." Raphtalia understood, "Sorry for pressing into you like that, Asuna."

"I-It's fine, as long as you don't bring it up again." Asuna answered, taking a deep sigh of relief. That entire scenario wore her down more than any fight she had to deal with that evening.

Meanwhile, the three boys couldn't help but watch from a distance the ordeal Asuna was having, though they couldn't hear what the discussion was about. "I wonder what caused Asuna to get so beet red like that?" Sora asked.

"Probably something we shouldn't ask about." Kirito answered, "But it seems to me like Goofy helped save her sanity."

Naofumi watched as Asuna got more comfortable again, and continued to discuss more happy things with Raphtalia. "I should probably thank you guys for helping us all this time." He told the two boys, "Filo and Melty told me on how you saved them, and you also saved Raphtalia and I from a tight situation, as well."

"Hey, we're just glad we could help out." Sora answered.

"Still…" Naofumi interrupted him, and they could see the serious glare he was giving the pair, "I do have a lot of questions for you guys. For one, about what I asked back before those white monsters appeared. If what Fitoria said is true, does this mean you guys are from another world?"

"Uh…" Sora looked very hesitant, unsure of whether to answer or not. However, it was Kirito who answered before him.

"We are." He answered, getting a shocked look by Sora, "Although, it's best you don't tell anyone else. We're actually not suppose to tell anyone to preserve the world order. But considering you and those other heroes were transported here from other worlds, it's probably okay for you to know. Plus, we don't want to lie, considering we already heard you can't take deception well."

Naofumi huffed a chuckle as he stated, "And people say I'm too straight-forward. Still, at least you're honest. Now for my next question; Why the hell were you guys with that bitch princess and those other heroes?"

"We were trying to find out who was causing the Heartless to attack people." Sora explained, "We knew they were being controlled by someone. And since everyone in the kingdom believed it was you…"

"…You basically got tricked by them, and thought I was controlling them." Naofumi answered, frowning at them.

"To be fair, we could tell Malty was not someone to be trusted." Kirito admitted, "She was rather potent with darkness, and those three heroes were rather easily fooled by her, especially Motoyasu."

"Yeah. She's the whole reason why everyone hates my guts." Naofumi stated.

"You mean about how they claimed you sexually assaulted her?" Kirito recalled, "I bet that was a lie, as well."

"I didn't." Naofumi answered sternly, "She practically made my life hell since that day. That trash king and those idiots believed her lies, and now I'm hated by the whole kingdom and made out as a demon because of what she did. I bet she might've been the one really controlling those Heartless."

"I don't think so." Sora stated looking to Kirito, "You guys did say she was bad, but not that capable of controlling the Heartless."

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, after what Saïx said, I believe the one really controlling them is hidden in plain sight, using the light to blind everyone into believing you are the villain."

"You talking about the Three Heroes Church?" Naofumi asked.

"Considering one of the Heartless dropped one of the church's rosario, not to mention how Idol was also carrying one, and had some slight control over the Heartless, I'm willing to bet they are involved."

Just then, someone appeared behind the trio, and they looked to see Fitoria had suddenly approached the three. "Shield Hero. I wish to speak with you in private." She addressed him, then to the other two, "I would also like if the two of you would come with me, as well."

"Us?" Sora asked.

* * *

Moment's later, the three boys found themselves outside of the campsite, with Fitoria walking along one of the ruined walls, her arms spread out to balance herself. "Tell me, why was that Heartless released from its seal?" She questioned the group.

"It's all because of some nobleman who wanted to kill Naofumi and the rest of us." Kirito answered.

"Yeah. That guy, the kingdom, and the other three heroes all want to get rid of me." Naofumi stated, "They branded me as a demon and a criminal, even though those other three heroes are messing up a lot more than I am. Hell, I'm the one who has to clean up their messes, and they still blame me for all their problems."

Fitoria leapt down in front of them, giving an exasperated sigh as she muttered, "Honestly, you should all be ashamed. To think the four Cardinal Heroes are squabbling amongst themselves when the next Wave is nearing us."

"Give me a break. They're the ones who started it." Naofumi argued.

"Regardless of how the kingdom and its' people treat you, the heroes shouldn't fight amongst themselves." She turned to the trio, looking at Naofumi as she stated, "You have to work together. That way, you can challenge the Waves of Catastrophe all around the world."

"Wait, what?" Naofumi seemed surprised at this, "Are you saying the Waves don't just target Melromarc?"

"No." She answered, "The four kingdoms should each have summoned a hero. Whenever the Waves appear, each hero must defend their own country."

"That's news to me." Naofumi stated, very surprised, "I've never heard of this before."

"So basically, Melromarc ended up summoning the four heroes themselves instead of sharing amongst the other kingdoms?" Kirito understood, "They're basically hogging all the power themselves, only caring about their own kingdom rather than any other."

"Then, maybe we can go help them out!" Sora suggested, "Were a large group, so we can go and-."

"No. Your group are not responsible for this world and its natural order." Fitoria shut him down, "Your job is only to deal with the Heartless and those who threaten the balance of this world. It is up to the four Cardinal Heroes to deal with the Waves of Catastrophe." Sora did look a bit let down at this, but understood that he probably shouldn't step in when it wasn't his job to begin with.

"If you're asking me to just suddenly get along with those other three heroes, then you can forget it." Naofumi told the filolial queen, "They don't want to work with me. They can't stand me, especially because of what this kingdom duped them into believing such lies."

"Regardless of what the kingdom says, the four heroes must work together." Fitoria repeated, "That is crucial in protecting our world."

"That's gonna be an impossible task." Naofumi told her.

There was a moment's silence. However, there was a certain feeling in the air that got all three boys' attention. A threatening aura was coming off of Fitoria as her eyes showed coldness towards Naofumi's decision. She looked at him as she said, "Then I have no choice then. If you cannot get along with each other, then I must eliminate all four Cardinal Heroes."

Leaving this final message, she walked away from the three, leaving them shaken a bit at the bloodlust she had just shown. She was serious about this. And after what she did to the Tyrantragon, they knew she was more than capable of doing the job.

 _'Apart from what she said just now, I know she means well.'_ Kirito told himself, _'Even so, that is a difficult task, especially when the real puppet master of the Heartless is pulling the strings within the shadows made by their light, and causing misled beliefs and chaos within this kingdom.'_

 _'What Gretinal warned us before was right.'_ Sora recalled the final words she told them before they came to this world: 'This world will test on your trust in others, and how you sense the darkness in others'. _'There is so much distrust and resentment, both from the other heroes and Naofumi, that even helping them get along seems really tough. I know there has to be a way for them to get along with each other. I know we can do something!'_

* * *

 **Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:**

 **Darkness Within Light! Challenge of Trust!**


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